Customs officials have seized a consignment of prohibited and restricted imported goods worth around Tk one crore at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka. The seizure was made at the Air Freight area of the airport after the consignment was allegedly found to contain false declarations.
Seizure Details
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) headquarters and its Air Freight Circle conducted the operation at the yard adjacent to Delivery Gate No. 8 of the airport's Air Freight area. The consignment included 101 cartons of goods such as used laptops, automobile parts, hard disk drives, cosmetics, and mini PCs.
Investigation and Legal Action
Preliminary information indicates that the consignment was imported from the United Arab Emirates by Sardar Global Trade under Air Waybill No. 176-63518722. The importer, through its nominated C&F agent, Fahim 5 Star Ltd., declared the goods as motor parts, cosmetics, mini PCs, tablets, projectors, and computer parts. However, during inspection, officials found that the goods were used and prohibited items, constituting misdeclaration and violations of import regulations.
Customs officials noted that the imported cosmetics failed to meet required import conditions and could pose risks to public health. The import of used electronic products is prohibited as they may be fraudulently marketed as new, deceiving consumers and posing environmental risks. An investigation will determine if the automobile parts were intended to assemble a vehicle, possibly with a separately imported chassis.
As the seized goods fall under prohibited and restricted import categories, they are not eligible for customs clearance even upon payment of duties and taxes. The CIID will take legal action under the Customs Act after determining the liabilities of the importer and the concerned C&F agent.
