The Collectorate of Enforcement, Karachi has intensified its drive against the smuggling of petroleum products and seized 40,000 litres of illegally smuggled Iranian diesel in two separate operations.
The first operation was carried out at sea, where two wooden boats or launches were intercepted by the Customs staff. The boats were found to be carrying 20,000 litres of Iranian diesel in drums and cans. The boats and the diesel were confiscated and brought to the ASO headquarters for further legal action.
The second operation was conducted at a port, where a 20-foot container was examined by the Customs staff. The container was declared to contain scrap, but upon inspection, it was revealed that it had a hidden tank filled with 20,000 litres of Iranian diesel. The container and the diesel were also seized and taken to the ASO headquarters for further legal action.
The drive against the smuggling of petroleum products was launched on the instructions of Chief Collector Yaqoob Mako and Collector Karachi Basit Abbasi. Additional Collector Inamullah Tareen, Assistant Collector Aman Sadiq and Superintendent Azhar Malik were supervising the operations.
The smugglers used fake documents to pretend that the diesel was supplied by oil marketing companies. However, the Customs authorities have contacted the oil marketing companies to verify the numbers of vehicles that they own or have on contract. This would help the Customs authorities to distinguish between the legal and illegal movement of fuel and to facilitate the genuine traders.