ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs this week foiled a bid to smuggle more than 9,000 MDMA or ecstasy tablets into the country valued at Rs299.8 million [$1 million], the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in a statement. 

According to the FBR, the narcotics were found concealed inside speakers and LED lamps in a parcel that arrived from Germany at the International Mail Office in the southern port city of Karachi. 

It said the shipment had been falsely declared as containing “clothes, socks and music boxes.”

“Officials of the Airport Cargo Control Unit (ACCU), Collectorate of Customs Airports Karachi, seized 9,455 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets valued at Rs299.791 million during a targeted inspection,” the FBR said on Friday. 

“Customs authorities have initiated further investigation to identify the recipients and facilitators of the smuggling attempt.”

Ecstasy/MDMA acts as both a stimulant and hallucinogen, producing an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences.

Adolescents and young adults use it around the world to reduce inhibitions and to promote euphoria, feelings of closeness, and empathy. 

Known as a “party drug,” ecstasy is consumed in both pill and powder form. 

Pakistan has stepped up efforts against clamping down on illegal drugs, with authorities frequently seizing large quantities of narcotics such as heroin, ecstacy, ice and hashish across the country. 

In November, Pakistan Navy seized narcotics worth Rs36 billion ($130 million) under a Saudi-led maritime task force. 

In October, another Pakistan Navy ship seized a record haul worth nearly Rs271 billion ($972 million), one of the largest drug seizures ever reported in the North Arabian Sea.