Chattogram Customs House seized 12.5 million foreign cigarettes concealed in a consignment declared as oranges on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to evade nearly Tk 30 crore in duties.
Confirming the seizure, Md Saidul Islam, spokesperson and deputy commissioner of Chattogram Customs, said that the container, measuring 40 feet, arrived under the guise of imported oranges.
On information, customs officials inspected the container and discovered a large quantity of Oscar and Lamar brand cigarettes there.
鈥楿sing forged documents and a false declaration, the importers tried to bring in cigarettes under the name of oranges, which carry a significantly lower duty rate,鈥� deputy commissioner Saidul said, adding, 鈥榃hile oranges are taxed at around 90 per cent, the tax on cigarettes ranges between 320 and 600 per cent.鈥�
The false declaration and forged documents were clearly used to avoid paying lawful duties amounting to nearly Tk 30 crore, Saidul added.
Legal action would be taken against those involved after investigation into the incident, he said.
According to customs, the consignment was imported by Dhaka-based Ahsan Corporation and arrived at Chittagong Port on May 15. Diba Trading Limited was assigned as the Clearing and Forwarding agent responsible for customs clearance on behalf of the importer.