2 more containers of liquor seized at Chittagong port

The Chittagong Customs House seized two more consignments of liquor, which were imported under a false declaration for ready-made garment industry raw materials to evade duties, from Chittagong port on Monday.

The two containers of liquor were imported from China in the name of two export-oriented companies under a declaration for polypropylene resin and textured yarn, said Saiful Haque, deputy commissioner, Audit Investigation and Research unit of Chittagong Customs House. 

No clearing and forwarding (C&F) agent has submitted a bill of entry to the customs for release of the two consignments, but the Port Control Unit of Chittagong Customs House locked the two Bills of Lading based on information that liquor was imported in the consignments, said customs sources.

The quantity of liquor seized on Monday is yet to be determined, said Chittagong Customs House Joint Commissioner Salahuddin Rizvi.

Including these two consignments, the customs have seized five consignments of liquor since Saturday. Customs sources said an attempt was made to evade duty worth Tk37.15 crore for the consignments.

Customs officials said goods imported for the manufacture of exports industry are exempt from duty while a duty of 605.8% is levied for importing liquor.

Earlier, a consignment of 15,204 litres of liquor imported under false declaration was seized on Sunday from Chittagong port. Officials said the importer tried to evade duty worth Tk12.45 crore for the consignment.

On Saturday, two liquor consignments imported under a declaration for machinery and bobbins were seized from Narayanganj. The consignments were released from the port evading duty worth Tk24.7 crore.

The same C&F agent, Zafar Ahmed was in charge of releasing the consignments. Several attempts were made to contact Zafar Ahmed, the proprietor of the C&F agency, but his phone was unreachable.