The Custom House, Chattogram has seized about 25 tonnes of banned poppy seeds worth about Tk 6.5 crore from two containers imported from Pakistan through the Chattogram port under a false declaration.
The information was disclosed in a press release signed by HM Kabir, deputy commissioner of the Custom House, Chattogram, on Thursday noon.
According to the release, the consignment declared as bird food was imported from Pakistan by Messrs Adib Trading of the Kotwali area in Chattogram city through its clearing and forwarding agent M H Trading C&F Agent Ltd.
The consignment arrived at Chattogram port from Pakistan on October 9, 2025, and was taken to Saber Ahmed Timber Company Ltd off-dock in Chattogram for release.
Acting on a tip-off, the Audit, Investigation and Research (AIR) wing of the Custom House, Chattogram suspended the release of the containers and carried out a physical examination on October 22 at a private off-dock in Chattogram.
During the inspection, officials found 24,960 kilograms of poppy seeds concealed behind 7,200 kilograms of bird food stacked at the front of the containers.
Samples of the goods were sent to the Plant Quarantine Office, the Nanotechnology Centre of Dhaka University, and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) for testing and reports from the Plant Quarantine Office and KUET confirmed the presence of poppy seeds, the release said.
Deputy commissioner HM Kabir said the import was declared falsely to evade detection.
Under the Import Policy Order 2021鈥�2024, poppy seeds are listed as a prohibited item and import of such goods is banned as germinable poppy seeds are also classified as a category-A narcotic under the Narcotics Control Act 2018.
Though the declared value of the consignment was Tk 30 lakh, customs officials estimated its market value at about Tk 6.5 crore.
Legal action under the Customs Act 2023 is under way, officials added.
