A female traveler arriving from Muscat at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi was arrested by customs authorities after officials discovered 50,340 foreign medicine tablets in her belongings.
Assistant Collector Khizar Faiz reported that inspectors stopped the passenger in the arrival zone of the airport based on an intelligence tip.
Authorities calculated the value of the confiscated pills at Rs. 8,054,400. Officials stated that the pharmaceuticals entered in commercial volumes and lacked mandatory import approval from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
Customs authorities classified the seizure as an illegal smuggling attempt of restricted foreign pharmaceutical items. Officials confiscated the pills under the Customs Act, filed a formal case against the traveler, and took her into custody.
Faiz noted that the suspect faces pending criminal matters previously filed by customs units across various air terminals, though he declined to share additional information regarding the status of those files.
Representatives clarified that the regulation involves bringing in the products without proper authorization from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan rather than a complete prohibition on the pharmaceuticals.
