KARACHI: The Customs Port Qasim Appraisement has sought information regarding the I-Form and ID number of importer of “acetic anhydride” from Peshawar Collectorate because now there is only one slue left for customs officials to trace the culprits who tried to smuggle duel purposed chemical from Poland after the documented importer company surfaced to be fake.
The Custom authorities found suspicious role of Polish supplier, shipping company and some of customs officers during the course of investigations, Customs Today learnt on Friday.
The Pakistan Customs had implemented a module in the WeBOC system to enable mandatory uploading of Import-Form (I-Form) for recording of the transaction between the importer and exporter in 2016.
After obtaining the details of I-Form authorities would be able to track the payment and transaction between importers and supplier in Poland.
“As the investigations have gone forward more complicated situation has surfaced because the shipping company has sought three day time to collect the information of the persons who contacted the supplier in Poland for the shipment of “Acetic anhydride” to Karachi and further transport it to Peshawar on TP”, an officials privy to the investigations told Customs Today.
According to the customs officials if Peshawar’s custom officers don’t have the ID and I-Form record of M/s Pak-Traders it would be meaning that the importer company is totally fake and every person involved in the scam is part of the same racket including the supplier, shipping company and the relevant customs officials because if any importer doesn’t has the ID it needs one time approval from the concern DC, ADC or collector to import a consignment for once without ID.
“Shipping company and Polish officials are now responsible to collect the information from the exporter including E-Form details of supplier” officials further stated.
According to the FIR lodged against the importer and its clearing agent during the discreet monitoring of the import data, a suspicious consignment comprising of a container no. CARU375740-2 (1X20’) said to contain item having a vague description of “ Summer fluid” shipped from Poland bearing address of Peshawar based consignee namely M/sPak Traders, Peshawar was identified.
The Bill of Lading No MSCUVQ695966 of the shipment also showed a non-existent PCT Code and an incomplete contact number of the consignee. Moreover, the address was also very general. Owing to the suspicious declarations, the container was blocked on 24.01.2018 in the system by R&D Section, however no one turned up for clearance till 31.01.2018.
Later on keeping in view the suspicious nature, physical examination of the consignment was carried on 31.01.2018 by R&D staff in the presence of terminal representatives and independent surveyors, which led to the recovery of huge quantity of precursor “Acetic anhydride” tested and verified by using the First Defender Diagnostic Kit.
In view of foregoing un-refutable evidence on record, it is evident that M/s Pak Traders, Peshawar has made deliberate attempt to import restricted / banned item i.e. Acetic Anhydride value amounting to $1.5 million besides importing the rusticated item. The willful mis-declaration value and classification by M/s. Pak Traders, Peshawar and their associates have therefore, violated provision of Section 2(s), 16, 32, 79, 80, 192 of the Customs Act, 1969, read with section 33 of Sales Tax Act, 1990, Section 148 of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, Section 3(1) of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 and read Sr. No. 19 of Appendix-‘B’ read with paragraph-5(B)(i) and paragraph-11 of Import Policy Order-2016 and further read with Section 7 and others relevant provision of Control and Narcotics Substance Act, 1997. The punishable under clauses (8), 9 (89), (14), (14-A) and (43) of Section 156 (1) of the Customs Act, 1969 Section 3(3) of the Import & Export (Control) Act, 1950, Section 148 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and 9(c) of Control and Narcotics Substance Act, 1997. Therefore, FIR to this effect is lodged and efforts are being made to arrest the culprits involved in the crime.
The recovered goods i.e. Acetic Anhydride is importable only by authorized industrial consumers as per Sr. No. 19 of Appendix-B read with paragraph 5(B)(i) and paragraph 11 of the Import Policy Order-2016. Thus it became quite clear that the goods have been imported in violation of the Import Policy Order-2016 and the importer had attempted to import the restricted precursor by mis-declaration of description and PCT code by contravening the provisions of Section 2(s), 16 and 32 of the Customs Act, 1969 read with section 7 and others relevant provision of Control and Narcotics Substance Act, 1997.
Accordingly, the consignment containing above said goods stuffed in 1x20ft. container no: CARU3757402 are seized under Section 168 of the Customs Act, 1969. The seized goods are handed over in the custody (superdari) of the Custodian, M/s. DP World (Terminal Operators), Port Muhammad Bin Qasim, Karachi and seizure of huge quantity of Acetic Anhydride having value of more than USD 1.5 million in the international market is unprecedented in this Collectorates history.