ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday announced the seizure of 25 kilograms of silver worth about Rs 12 million ($40,000) from a passenger bus at the Mochko Check Post in Karachi, in an operation aimed at cracking down on precious-metal smuggling.
The consignment was discovered during an inspection at the Mochko Check Post after officers of the Anti-Smuggling Organisation found silver bars hidden in a passenger’s luggage. The suspect failed to produce import or purchase documents, confirming the consignment’s illegal origin, according to the FBR.
The Mochko Check Post, located in Karachi’s Keamari district, is reportedly used by criminal networks to smuggle goods, narcotics and weapons into the city.
“The seized silver has been taken into custody under the Customs Act 1969, and the passenger has been detained,” the FBR said in a post on X. “Further investigation is underway to trace the source, route and intended recipients of the smuggled goods and to identify accomplices involved.”
Rising global silver prices, driven by renewed investor demand and strong industrial use in solar panels and electronics, have made the metal a lucrative target for smugglers in Pakistan.
Such trafficking is not confined to international borders, with smugglers increasingly using passenger buses and inter-provincial routes to move untaxed silver and gold within the country.
The FBR said enforcement operations would “continue with full vigour” to curb smuggling and ensure compliance with customs laws across all entry routes and checkpoints.
