KARACHI: Customs MCC (Exports) has conducted a raid at Port Qasim and seized more than 36 kg of fine quality heroin from a consignment booked for Canada at International Container Terminal.
According to customs officials, during an inspection of leather products booked for Canada 58 cartons of heroin weighing 36.2 kg were found. The customs officials informed that the seized heroin is worth Rs 361 million in the international market.
An FIR has been registered in the Special Court for Control of Narcotics in Karachi, while four of the five accused have been arrested from Karachi and a team has left for Sialkot to arrest a key accused, the officials said.
Further investigation has been started from the arrested accused, they added. Earlier, Customs officials have recovered 75 falcons and a Houbara bustard during raids in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority and Gizri areas.
According to customs officials, the net worth of the recovered birds is Rs 200 million in the international market.
Addressing a press conference Customs collector Muhammad Saqib Saaed had claimed, “This is the first time that such a large number of endangered birds had been recovered. They the captors intended to smuggle the birds but our officials foiled the bid,” he added.
Detailing the raids, Saaed said the captors had a scuffle with Customs officials, following which the former hurled stones at the latter. However, Saeed added, the officials managed to rescue the birds and took off.
He said, “Our officials also used aerial firing to disperse the mob. It was a tough operation and our officials faced resistance but managed to save the birds,” Saeed added.
