FIA thwarts cigarette smuggling bid

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday foiled a smuggling attempt at the New Islamabad International Airport and arrested a female suspect.

According to an FIA spokesperson, the suspect successfully boarded a flight to Saudi Arabia with illegal items before being taken into custody.

However, the incident raised concerns about shortcomings in security protocols. The spokesperson further said that the incident involved a female passenger, Kiran from Lahore, whose luggage contained prohibited items destined for Saudi Arabia.

While the briefing for flight SV 725 to Saudi Arabia was underway, Kiran passed through the red counters of the Airport Security Force (ASF), Customs and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) without any hindrance. However, immigration staff noticed that she was regularly traveling to Saudi Arabia, raising suspicions that led to further investigation.

Senior immigration officials, after verifying Kiran’s travel documents, ordered a thorough check of her luggage, which had already gone through the approval procedures of the three departments. The airline was ordered to remove the luggage from the plane, which led to the discovery of 638 packs of cigarettes, 200 boxes of Velo and 238 packs of gutka hidden in Kiran’s belongings.

After the discovery, she was unloaded from the plane and handed over to customs together with the seized items. Despite the swift action, concerns remained among ASF, Customs and ANF personnel about how the banned items managed to evade detection.

An investigation has been launched to determine the lapse in security measures despite the presence of scanning equipment and multi-agency surveillance at the airport.

Authorities stressed that it is the duty of all relevant agencies, including customs, to thoroughly inspect aircraft and issue clearance certificates before departure.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd2024.