The Pakistan Customs have seized 20 trucks en route to Afghanistan carrying sugar in two separate operations. The seized vehicles and sugar are believed to have an estimated worth of approximately Rs700 million. These smuggling attempts come at a time of increasing scarcity of sugar in the country and a subsequent surge in its price.
A Customs official revealed that the operation was executed by the Customs Field Enforcement Unit. This unit is situated on the border between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Customs unit intercepted a substantial convoy consisting of 15 trucks originating from the Dhana Sar area of Dera Ismail Khan and confiscated 8,260 bags of sugar.
The sugar was in transit to the interior of Balochistan. There were eventual plans to reach the border areas, all without the requisite permit. The official further stated that the ultimate destination for these vehicles was Afghanistan.
Inspector Haris Bashar of Quetta Customs stated that Customs and police forces jointly initiated action on Friday night. The department had recently seized three trucks transporting sugar a few days ago. Additionally, they received intelligence reports indicating that 15 to 20 trucks, loaded with a substantial sugar consignment, were planning to smuggle the commodity to Afghanistan from Quetta.
He stated that 8,260 bags of sugar, totaling a weight of 411 tonnes, were seized from the 15 trucks. In terms of kilograms, this amounts to 375,000 kilograms of sugar.
The Customs Department seized 1.63 kilotonnes of sugar during July and August. This amount is estimated to be valued at around Rs1 billion.
