Tag: smuggling

  • Pakistan approaches international community on radioactive smuggling in India

    Pakistan approaches international community on radioactive smuggling in India

    Pakistan has reached out to the international community over the arrest of a gang charged with smuggling radioactive substances called ‘californium’ in India.
    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) has questioned how hazardous Sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material was stolen.

    The Bihar Police have arrested a member of a gang smuggling californium, a radioactive chemical that is used to cure cancer. It is reportedly worth RS 17 crore a gram, Indian Media report

    “It is dangerous for such sensitive material in India to be routinely found in the wrong hands. Pakistan reiterates its call for a thorough investigation of these incidents and for adequate measures to prevent their recurrence. Pakistan is gravely concerned at the reports of recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India,” said the Foreign Office.

    Quoting last month’s incident where five individuals with a radioactive device reportedly stolen from Bhabha Atomic Research Center were also found from Dehradun, the FO expressed strong reservations on the developments.

  • Guess what a Pakistani air hostess was smuggling in her socks

    Guess what a Pakistani air hostess was smuggling in her socks

    A video of a Pakistani air hostess being detained by police while trying to smuggle cash hidden in her socks has emerged online.

    The incident has raised concerns about security and professionalism among airline staff. There have been numerous issues and blunders involving PIA staff in the recent past, including cases of misconduct and operation failures. But smuggling and such illegal activities are few and far between and instead involve individuals rather than any systemic flaws.

    The uniform the person in the video is wearing resembles that of state carrier PIA.

    Here is the video of Air hotess:

  • Crackdown against $23 billion black market results in attacks on custom officials

    Crackdown against $23 billion black market results in attacks on custom officials

    On Saturday, three people, including two Customs officials, were murdered in an attack near Bannu Road when unknown gunmen opened fire targeting their vehicle at the Yarak toll plaza in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    This is the second attack on Pakistan Customs officials in less than a week in Dera Ismail Khan.

    Previously on April 18, seven people, including a child, were slain in an attack out of which five were Custom officials. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism.

    The Khorasan Diary had reported that “Customs had tightened the noose around smuggling around this area as it was frequented by militant networks who were involved in smuggling weapons and vehicles used in attack in urban centres,” a senior customs official said.

    The special situation report of the April 18 incident was released by the Deputy Commissioner

    Moreover, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the heinous attack.

    It should be noted that Dera Ismail Khan is an infamous route for illicit trade and smuggling as there have been many instances when the authorities have foiled bids to smuggle goods including arms, Iranian fuel and more.

    (Image taken from APP report)

    As Pakistan navigates through tough economic waters, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strict action against smugglers and urged law enforcement agencies to expedite their campaigns.

    Illicit activities such as black market and smuggling cost Pakistan $23 billion per year, according to the report by ACE Money Transfer, a UK-based company.

    Previously, the caretaker administration started the anti-smuggling drive in the country to protect the feeble foreign exchange and stop the devaluation of local currency (PKR).

    The FBR released a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families.

  • Civil-military leaders decide on action against corruption, smuggling, power theft

    Civil-military leaders decide on action against corruption, smuggling, power theft

    The civil-military leadership of the country has chosen to take tough measures against anyone engaged in illegal activities like corruption, smuggling, power theft, and criminal gangs.

    The decisions were taken in a high-level meeting — with an agenda of “measures against spectrum of illegal activities and criminal mafias” — chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday attended by civil-military leadership in which measures against unlawful activities were discussed.

    General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), along with federal cabinet members, chief ministers, and other high-ranking government officials, participated in the important meeting.

    The authorities thoroughly explained the actions taken against criminal mafias, smuggling, hoarding, money laundering, power theft, and repatriation of illegal foreigners to the participants.

  • Pakistan Customs officials foil attempt to smuggle PKR 1.5 crore in gold and cash

    Pakistan Customs officials foil attempt to smuggle PKR 1.5 crore in gold and cash

    Customs officials made a significant seizure of gold and cash at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Tuesday. 

    Acting on a tip-off, the officials intercepted a passenger scheduled to depart for Hong Kong on Thai Airways flight TG-342, suspected of carrying a substantial amount of undeclared valuables.

    Following the tip-off, Customs personnel conducted a thorough search of the passenger’s belongings, uncovering over $40,000 (PKR 11 million) in assorted foreign currencies, along with 21 tolas of gold coins and jewelry. 

    The combined value of the confiscated items is estimated to be approximately $56,000 (PKR 15 million).

    The detained passenger failed to declare the cash and gold, a requirement for amounts exceeding $10,000 (PKR 2.78 million), when leaving Pakistan, leading to allegations of money laundering and smuggling. An FIR has been filed, and the investigation is ongoing.

  • Woman arrested for smuggling 130 poisonous frogs

    Woman arrested for smuggling 130 poisonous frogs

    BOGOTA: Authorities in Colombia seized 130 poisonous frogs being trafficked through the Bogota airport on Monday and arrested the Brazilian woman carrying them.

    The woman was transporting the colorful harlequin poison frogs (oophaga histrionica) inside film containers while travelling to Sao Paulo with a stopover in Panama.

    She “claimed that a local community had given them as a gift,” Bogota Environment Secretary Adriana Soto said in a video shared with media.

    Harlequin frogs are venomous, measure less than five centimetres (two inches) and live in damp forests along the Pacific coast between Ecuador and Colombia, as well as in other countries in Central and South America.

    “This endangered species is sought after in international markets,” said Bogota Police Commander Juan Carlos Arevalo, adding that private collectors might pay up to $1,000 for each.

    The police reported that the woman carrying the frogs was arrested “for the crime of wildlife tracking” before being handed over to the prosecutor’s office.

    Animal trafficking is common in Colombia — one of the most biodiverse countries in the world — especially of amphibians, small mammals and marine animal parts, such as those of sharks.

  • Senators propose discontinuation of Rs5,000 currency note to fight corruption

    Senators propose discontinuation of Rs5,000 currency note to fight corruption

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senators are advocating for the discontinuation of the Rs5,000 currency note as a strategic move to combat corruption and inflation.

    On Monday, Senator Mohsin Aziz presented a resolution in the Upper House of Parliament urging the prohibition of the highest-denomination currency.

    According to Senator Aziz, the Rs5,000 note is frequently associated with corruption, terrorism, and smuggling.

    Providing details, Senator Aziz revealed that Rs5,000 currency notes totaling Rs3.5 trillion have been issued to date.

    Notably, he emphasised that Rs2 trillion worth of Rs5,000 notes are not currently in circulation but are securely stored in “safe deposit,” which he alleges is linked to money laundering, tax evasion, and smuggling.

    Senator Aziz called for a specific timeframe during which individuals should surrender the highest denomination notes.

    Supporting this initiative, another PTI Senator, Waleed Iqbal, echoed Senator Aziz’s call to discontinue the Rs5,000 currency note.
    He suggested that promoting digital payments would be instrumental in reducing reliance on physical currency.

    Responding to these claims, Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi stated that Rs5,000 currency notes totaling 905 million have been issued thus far, with Rs4.5 trillion currently in circulation.

    Solangi attributed the autonomy granted to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by the previous government as a contributing factor to the situation. He asserted that the SBP operates within the confines of its laws.

    This isn’t the first time that officials have targeted the highest denomination note for its alleged role in fostering corruption.

    In September of this year, former Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chief Shabbar Zaidi emphasised the importance of discontinuing Rs5,000 notes and imposing restrictions on the physical movement of dollars as crucial steps in curbing the cash economy in the country.

  • Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Malaysian authorities have seized a consignment of onions shipped from Pakistan that contained drugs worth Rs. 5 billion, including 100 kgs of cocaine and 411 kgs of methamphetamine, reports The Express Tribune.

    Malaysian Authorities shared the information via a letter to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), confirming the recovery of 500 kgs of drugs from a container loaded with Pakistani onions.

    The operation was carried out by the Malaysian Narcotics Crime Investigation Department on October 27, 2023. They have arrested five locals, all aged between 21 and 53, under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

    Two Pakistanis have been arrested on charges of drug trafficking. Suspect Chaudhry Nadeem has been detained at the Karachi airport while leaving for Thailand. Clearing agent Amir Ali Khan has also been arrested.

    The company in whose name the Goods Declaration (GD) was filed was the second GD of this company.

  • Customs successfully hampers smuggling of Phones worth more than Rs20 million

    Customs successfully hampers smuggling of Phones worth more than Rs20 million

    In a bid to thwart the smuggling of expensive phones in the country, Pakistan Customs Department has arrested a family at the Jinnah International Airport terminal who reached Karachi after performing Umrah via a connecting flight from Dubai, PA-417.

    Acting vigilantly on the tip-off, the collectorate stopped some of the passengers and scanned their luggage which had empty boxes of cell phones. The passengers could not provide any satisfactory answers and this led to a body search. Police then found 51 expensive iPhones they had tied around their waist and legs near the ankles. The recovered iPhones include 25 units of 15 ProMax 12 units of 14 ProMax, 14 units of 11 Promax and 12 units of ProMax. The value of these mobile sets is estimated to be around Rs27.6 million. Taxes of Rs8.8 million could be evaded by smuggling the phones into the country.

    The collector informed the media that smugglers have now started to take advantage of the facility of faster airport arrival services for Umrah pilgrims. These groups entice pilgrims to bring up to 10 iPhones for which they are offered cheap tickets and money.

    Remand was obtained for the family of three and a case has been registered against them under the Customs Act .

  • Security personnel are involved in cross-border smuggling, says Sarfraz Bugti

    Security personnel are involved in cross-border smuggling, says Sarfraz Bugti

    Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday in a press conference that security officials who are involved in cross-border smuggling would be court-martialed.

    Pakistan has escalated its crackdown on smugglers involved in the transportation of goods and dollars to Afghanistan.

    “If I say that security forces weren’t involved in [smuggling], it won’t be right as the [smuggled] items are transported via trucks, not camels,” Bugti said during a press conference in Islamabad.

    He also mentioned that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has told military officials that whoever is involved in cross-border smuggling will face the consequences.

    “Pakistan’s army chief had told his people very clearly: there won’t only be court-martials, but those involved in such activities would also be sent to jail,” the interior minister mentioned.

    Bugti also told the reporters that the Army’s accountability mechanism is not disclosed to the public; that’s why the general population doesn’t know much about it.