KARACHI: ASO of MCC Preventive Karachi has lodged an FIR against owner of M/s Popular Fruit Juices and others.

ASO had recovered large quantity of smuggled dry milk, and foreign origin food grade chemical from the premises of M/s Popular Fruit Juices a couple of days ago.

A team of ASO Preventive Karachi raided the factory of M/s Popular Fruit Juices in New Karachi commercial area and recovered large quantity of Iran-origin smuggled milk powder and chemical used in juice making. Information was received through Collector Preventive Saquif Saeed to Additional Collector Haroon Waqar Malik regarding presence of smuggled goods at the factory of M/s Popular Fruit Juices.

Assistant Collector Shafiullah formed a raiding team headed by Superintendent Iftikhar Hasan. The raiding team recovered 8-container load of smuggled milk powder and two containers of food chemical worth Rs34.2 million.

Sources said Chief Collector Saifuddin Jenejo was being pressure not to lodge the FIR, but he refused to succumb to any pressure.

In a meeting earlier Additional Collector Preventive Karachi Haroon Malik had given a target to ASO officers Assistant Collector Shafiullah and Superintendent Iftikhar Hasan to conduct raids on food companies using smuggled and prohibited materials/goods.

Waqar Malik reportedly said those bringing/transporting smuggled goods and the buyers/consumers of such goods should equally be treated as smugglers.