ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs has intensified its anti-smuggling campaign near the Afghan border, seizing contraband valued at $266,000 in coordinated operations carried out by the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Peshawar in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said on Sunday.
According to the FBR statement, the largest operation was conducted by the Enforcement Division D.I. Khan, where officers intercepted three trucks transporting 12,200 kilograms of smuggled betel nuts, 4,021 sleeves of foreign-origin cigarettes and 170 tyres.
The smuggled goods and the vehicles were taken into custody, with a combined estimated value of nearly $195,000.
In a separate action in D.I. Khan, Customs personnel seized non–duty-paid cosmetics hidden inside passenger vehicles.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Division in Peshawar confiscated two non–duty-paid cars, a Toyota Vitz and a Toyota Aqua, bringing the additional seizure value to $37,100, the statement said.
The Anti-Smuggling Directorate (ASD) Nowshera also intercepted a JAC Pickup loaded with 2,000 sleeves of smuggled cigarettes. Both the contraband and the vehicle were confiscated in an operation valued at $34,000.
The coordinated actions, the FBR noted, demonstrate Pakistan Customs’ ongoing efforts to counter illicit trade and protect state revenue.
“These anti-smuggling operations of Pakistan Customs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across the country reaffirm the FBR’s commitment to curbing smuggling and safeguarding the national economy,” Customs officials said.