Pakistan Customs has stopped a suspicious shipment at Karachi port after discovering that its contents were allegedly misdeclared.
Officials seized a container carrying 25,430 kg of Cellulose Acetate Tow, a raw material used in cigarette manufacturing.
The material had reportedly been declared as “Plastic Resin.”
Shipment worth Rs40 million
The container arrived from Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and was declared for onwards movement from Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) to the Karachi Export Processing Zone.
The shipment was valued at around Rs40 million.
Customs officials also noticed something unusual in the paperwork.
While the consignment was declared for movement to EPZ Karachi, the electronic Bill of Lading listed the consignee’s address as EPZ Risalpur.
Scan raises suspicion
The container came under suspicion during scanning at KICT.
Customs officials blocked the shipment on August 16 and ordered a detailed physical examination.
Also read: Pakistan Customs Seizes Fake Goods Worth Rs 7.7 Billion in FY26
That inspection revealed that the goods did not match the declared description.
Samples were sent to a laboratory for testing.
The laboratory report issued on August 19 confirmed that the material was Cellulose Acetate Tow, a high-duty raw material commonly used in cigarette manufacturing.
Rs308 million in duties and taxes at stake
The seized shipment contained around 25.4 tonnes of the material and was assessed at approximately Rs40 million.
But the potential revenue impact was much larger.
Customs estimated that the applicable duties and taxes could amount to around Rs308 million.
The seizure has now triggered an investigation.
Authorities are looking into how the shipment was allegedly misdeclared and who was responsible for the discrepancies in the cargo and its documentation.
