Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials seized 133 grammes of gold, medicines, cigarettes, prohibited cosmetics and foreign liquor worth an estimated Tk 42.88 lakh in separate drives at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday.
The seizures were made during four separate operations by the airport’s C-shift officials based on intelligence reports.
Acting on a tip-off that a passenger arriving from Colombo would be carrying gold illegally, CIID officials mounted surveillance at different points of the airport.
After SriLankan Airlines flight UL189 landed at around noon, officials detained passenger MD Parvez while he was crossing the Green Channel after completing immigration and collecting his baggage.
During a search, officials recovered 133 grammes of gold concealed in a specially modified compartment of his trolley.
They also recovered 2,589 pieces of conditionally importable medicines hidden in his luggage. The passenger failed to produce the required permits and supporting documents for importing the medicines.
The gold and medicines were seized through a detention memo, with their estimated value put at around Tk 30 lakh.
In a separate operation, CIID officials searched the baggage of Jony Mia, a passenger arriving on Air India flight AI237, and seized six litres of GRANTS-brand foreign liquor.
The estimated market value of the liquor is Tk 1.20 lakh.
Officials also searched the baggage of Md Mizanur Rahman, who arrived on Emirates flight EK0586.
They recovered 29 cartons of cigarettes and 708 pieces of Pakistani Whiting Serum from his baggage. The seized goods are estimated to be worth Tk 4.49 lakh.
In another operation, CIID officials searched the baggage of Suma Begum, a passenger arriving on US-Bangla Airlines flight BS316.
They recovered 30kg of Gouri cream, the import of which is prohibited. The estimated market value of the cream is Tk 6 lakh.
According to CIID, the day’s overall seizures included 133 grammes of gold, 2,589 pieces of medicines, 51 cartons of cigarettes, 31kg of prohibited cream, 708 pieces of prohibited serum and six litres of foreign liquor.
The total estimated market value of the seized goods is Tk 42.88 lakh.