20000102

'99 proved a good

operational year

for customs DEC

KARACHI: The year 1999 proved a good operational year for Customs Drug Enforcement Cell staff at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport.

Since 1991, the Customs DEC sleuths at QIAP made the highest ever seizure of 202-kg of heroin in 127 different cases during the year 1999.

The contraband seized has a value of about two billion rupees in the foreign under-world market.

According to the customs sources 127 attempts for smuggling of heroin were foiled during the year and 117 foreigners besides 16 Pakistani nationals were arrested on charge of drug smuggling.

The highest number of foreigners arrested while attempting to take out the drugs from Pakistan belonged to Nigeria (22) and Tanzania (21).

Others arrested included Pakistanis 16, Ghanians eight, Nepalese eight, Kenyan six, South Africans five, Mozambican five, Liberians four, Maliene four, Guinian four, Afghani three, Britishers three, Thai three and Dutch three besides two each from Indonesia, Ukrain, Iran and Spain and one each from US, Brundi, Camroon, Denmark, Malawi, Romania, Rwanda, Uganda, Sieralone and Yemen.

The year 1999 ended with the arrest of a South African Imani Mohamed on December 30, who was travelling on passport No. JHB-04410909 after recovery of one kg heroin from him before he could board an Emirate Airline Flight ET-603 bound for Johannesburg via Dubai.

The contraband was cleverly concealed inside the joggers he was wearing and a ladies purse in his baggage.

On the night of December 30-31, the DEC staff intercepted a Nigerian national Sam Osita Oranazor holding passport No A-0038668. He was leaving for Lagos via Nairobi by a Kenyan Airline flight No. KQ-313.

Owing to suspicion that he might be carrying drugs inside his body cavities, the accused was subjected to X-ray examination which proved the presence of capsules. He was then shifted to Jinnah Hospital where 10 capsules were excreted.ÑAPP