OUR CORRESPONDENT
LAHORE: The Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation-Customs, Lahore has demonstrated exceptional performance in the first two months of the fiscal year 2024-25.
Under the dynamic leadership of Director Tayyeba Kayani, the Customs Intelligence team comprising of Additional Director Muhammad Rizwan and Deputy Director ASO Yawar Hayat Lahore has significantly surpassed its achievements in both anti-smuggling and enforcement efforts compared to the same period last year.
In the anti-smuggling domain, the Directorate successfully conducted 31 seizure cases, with a total value of Rs 1,518.4 million. This marks a remarkable approx. 200 per cent increase from the Rs510 million worth of seizures recorded during July and August of the previous fiscal year. Under the chivalrous supervision of Superintendent Adnan Chandio key seizures have been made including 21.140 kg of heroin, 658,139 kg dry fruits, 72,220 electronic goods, 25,029 kg herbs and 2,942 kg of electronics, seven non-duty paid vehicles, and other valuable items such as cloth, mobile phones, and cigarettes.
Moreover, the Directorate’s collaborative mega operations with law enforcement agencies led to the recovery of 17.140 kg of smuggled heroin, four motorbikes, and one pistol, totaling Rs. 387.6 million in value. Another successful operation in Narowal resulted in the seizure of 4 kg of heroin worth Rs. 104 million. Four FIRs were lodged, and four offenders were apprehended during these operations.
The Enforcement Branch’s anti-evasion drive spearheaded by Assistant Director Haseeb Hasan has also yielded significant results. In joint coordination with the Collectorates of Lahore, the branch due to the diligence of Principal Appraiser Amjad Bukhari has detected cases of gross misdeclaration involving duties and taxes amounting to Rs. 202.5 million, out of which Rs. 150.367 million has also been recovered. In terms of recovery and realisation of revenue, Rs. 83.107 million was realized through auctions supervised by Deputy Director Zohrain Bhaur and spearheaded by Superintendent Ashfaq Hamdani The recovery of duties and taxes, reflects a 1.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
These achievements underscore the commitment and effectiveness of the Customs Intelligence Lahore in combating smuggling and enforcing customs laws, setting a high standard for the remainder of the fiscal year.