In a major anti-smuggling operation, the Customs Enforcement team under the Collectorate of Customs (Enforcement) Peshawar, successfully intercepted a large quantity of foreign origin narcotics during a routine check at IP-JCP Aman Mela, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in an official statement.
According to the FBR, the operation was “acting on credible information conveyed by the Deputy Collector Customs, D.I. Khan-II, under the directions of the Collector Customs (Enforcement), Peshawar.” Customs officials “recovered foreign-origin narcotics ICE (Crystal Methamphetamine) concealed inside three specially designed inverters placed in the bus,” after inspecting a Daewoo bus bearing Registration No. CAT-4488.
“The driver and conductor were arrested on the spot, and an FIR was lodged against them,” the statement confirmed.
The recovered narcotics comprised 15 packets of ICE (Crystal Methamphetamine), weighing a total of 15,350 grams (net 15,200 grams after sampling).
The estimated value of the seized narcotics is Rs. 910.200 million, while the value of the Daewoo bus is Rs. 15 million, bringing the total estimated value of the case to Rs. 925.200 million, the FBR added.
As the narcotics were being transported to the State Warehouse, DI Khan, the statement revealed that “the Customs staff came under attack by unidentified miscreants/terrorists, who opened straight and indiscriminate fire on the customs convoy.”
The FBR said the attack appeared to be aimed at harming customs personnel “due to the high market value of the seized narcotics.” However, “the swift and courageous response of the customs team ensured the safety of both personnel and the seized goods.”
The statement further commended the Pakistan Army and police, who “acted swiftly and reached the site of the incident promptly, providing immediate support and security. They safely escorted the Customs staff and the recovered narcotics consignment to the State Warehouse, D.I. Khan, without any loss of life or property.”
Concluding the statement, the FBR said, “This successful operation demonstrates the continued commitment of FBR against smuggling and narcotics trafficking.”
