KARACHI: ASO of MCC Preventive Karachi has seized large quantity of smuggled medicine including Indian origin medicines from a warehouse in Saddar. The value of seized goods comes to Rs23 million.
Information was passed through Collector Saqif Saeed to Additional Collector Haroon Malik regarding presence of huge quantity of banned drugs/ medicines in the vicinity of Saddar, Assistant Collector Shafi Ullah formed a team led by Superintendent Iftikhar Hassan to raid the suspected site.
After obtaining a search Warrant from judicial magistrate, ASO team raided a warehouse situated at Al-Najeebi Market Saddar, Karachi. Search of the premise resulted in recovery of large quantity of smuggled and banned medicines. Accordingly, preliminary investigation is underway to unearth the perpetrators involved in the crime.
It may be mentioned here the ASO of MCC Preventive Karachi has been doing an extra-ordinary job and made cases involving goods of Rs20 billion in last three years.
ASO made cases involving seized gods of Rs4.0 billion in 2018, Rs7.0 billion and 2019 and Rs9.0 billion in 2020.
An official said the smuggling of medicine and other goods was going on for a long time and despite Customs making efforts, the judicial system always favored the accused.
Sources said a large number of Customs agents and traders were involved in illicit trade, and mostly the medicines and other goods were cleared from baggage counters because of the links Customs agents and traders had made with the Customs staff.
An official said the fee for clearing a container was Rs10,000 at most, however the Customs agents were billionaires. Official said all the business done by the Customs agents was on record as these agents filed the Goods Declarations from their WeBOC I.D, and it is very easy to calculate the business done by the Customs agents. An audit of the wealth of Customs agents comparing it with the business they did in a given period of time would reveal the wrongdoings on their part.