A container declared as "fabrics" at Chittagong Port was found carrying 1,114 cartons (11,676 litres) of foreign liquor imported from China by a garment factory, attempting a tax evasion of approximately Tk12 crore.
Customs Audit, Investigation, and Research (AIR) team conducted a raid based on secret information and confiscated the liquor shipment on Wednesday night.
The container, measuring 20 feet in length, was seized from the NCT Yard of Chittagong Port. This information was confirmed by Chittagong Customs officials.
The shipment, which was falsely declared as fabric, was imported by Supreme Smart Wear Limited, a company based in Narayanganj EPZ.
The clearing agent responsible for the shipment was Hafiz Trading Private Limited, located in the Golbagh Residential Area on Agrabad Access Road, Chittagong.
The container had been imported from China under the declaration of fabric.
Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Customs House, Mohammad Saidul Islam, said that the clearing agent Hafiz Trading Private Limited submitted the Bill of Entry (No-C-317410) for the shipment.
Acting on a tip-off, the Customs AIR team analyzed data from the exporter’s website, the manufacturing country, the importer’s business type and address, and the product description.
This led to the suspicion that the shipment contained liquor under a false declaration.
Further investigation by the AIR team, with the assistance of the port authorities, led to the opening of the container.
After physical examination, the team discovered 1,114 cartons, each containing foreign liquor, totalling 11,676 litres.
The estimated dutiable value of the seized shipment is around Tk2 crore, with the attempted revenue evasion amounting to approximately Tk12 crore. The AIR team successfully prevented this significant attempt at tax evasion.