Customs seizes crystal meth worth Rs230 million

ISLAMABAD:  Customs department on Sunday said that it had seized a crystal meth consignment valued at approximately Rs230 million ($794,850). The consignment originally came from Afghanistan and had been rerouted to Karachi from Bahrain. 

The consignment had been left unattended in Bahrain for an extended period before being seized in Pakistan.

Hidden within dried fruit baskets, the drugs were part of a consignment sent by an individual residing in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province. This shipment was sent to a recipient named Gulbaz Khan located in Bahrain.

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Customs officials said that when there was no recipient available to receive the package at its intended destination in the Gulf country, the shipment was subsequently sent back to Afghanistan through Karachi by postal authorities.

Syed Irfan Ali, the customs department spokesperson,  while talking to Arab News said that, “Since no one received the shipment at the provided address in Bahrain, it was sent back through Karachi.”

“It is suspected that by deliberately providing an incorrect address in Bahrain, the sender intended for these drugs to be diverted to Pakistan for potential distribution in Karachi,” he added.

A police report has been formally filed in accordance with the Narcotics Act.