Dhaka Airport Customs seize cigarettes, gold, banned cream

Customs intelligence officials seized 90 e-cigarettes and vapes, 166 cartons of cigarettes, 12 kilogrammes of banned Gouri cream and 100 grammes of gold ornaments in separate operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on November 6 and 7.

The estimated value of the seized goods is Tk 32,02,500 (approximately Tk 3.2 million), according to a press release.

Acting on a tip-off, officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) took up positions at the airport on November 6 and searched the baggage of a passenger, Sultana Razia, who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-387.

During the search, officials recovered 90 e-cigarettes and vapes, 12 kilogrammes of prohibited Gouri cream and 100 grammes of gold ornaments from her baggage.

Customs officials said an entry in the passenger’s passport showed that she had brought 100 grammes of gold ornaments into the country on August 13 this year. As she was carrying another 100 grammes of gold within the same year, the officials seized the ornaments under the applicable baggage regulations.

In a separate operation on November 7, customs officials recovered 166 cartons of cigarettes abandoned near the baggage carousel of Qatar Airways flight QR-640, which had arrived from Qatar.

The CIID described the recovery of e-cigarettes and vapes from passengers’ baggage as a growing trend in smuggling.

The directorate said its surveillance and anti-smuggling operations would continue to protect government revenue and prevent prohibited and potentially harmful products from entering the country.