During a routine inspection at Lahore airport, Customs authorities intercepted a passenger arriving from Sharjah, UAE, scrutinizing the luggage under the supervision of Customs Deputy Commissioner Raja Bilal Naseem.
Upon examination, a staggering total of 303 valuable and cutting-edge mobile phones were confiscated from passenger Muhammad Adil, with an estimated market value exceeding Rs. 85 million.
Muhammad Adil was promptly apprehended, and authorities filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him. Investigations into the matter are currently ongoing.
In a similar occurrence, Customs foiled a bid to smuggle expensive smartphones worth millions of rupees through the Islamabad airport last month.
According to sources speaking to ProPakistani, Customs officials stationed at Islamabad airport intercepted 121 iPhones valued at millions of rupees in two separate incidents. These cases involved passengers arriving from various countries attempting to smuggle the devices, allegedly with the collusion of Civil Aviation Contractors, Gerry’s, and Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel.
Sources emphasized the importance of law enforcement agencies vigilantly monitoring officials across various departments at Islamabad and other airports.
In response to the alleged involvement of Gerry’s employees, an FIR was registered against officials from these departments, as confirmed by the Collector Customs Islamabad International Airport.
In December last year, it was revealed that Dubai is the most popular air route used to smuggle mobile phones into Pakistan. These mobile phones arrive via multiple Pakistan airports including Peshawar, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Karachi. Besides, porters, kids, and Laghris (petty smugglers) smuggle mobile phones through Angoor Adda and Chaman border crossings.
