A 16kg gold seizure from fruit crates at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has led investigators to suspect that a much larger smuggling operation may have been running through the airport for at least a year, with fresh fruit imports allegedly being used as cover.
Investigators have found records of at least 10 fruit shipments imported from Hong Kong under the same company’s name over the past year. They now suspect that gold may have been smuggled through those shipments as well, potentially bringing around 250kg of gold into Bangladesh with an estimated market value of about Tk300 crore.
The latest findings have prompted law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to identify and arrest members of the alleged smuggling network.
Intelligence agencies, police and other law enforcement bodies are conducting operations in Dhaka and elsewhere as the investigation widens.
Gold hidden inside fruit crates
The investigation began after a shipment declared as fresh fruit was found to contain gold bars hidden inside specially constructed compartments in fruit crates at the airport’s Cargo Village.
Around 16kg of gold was recovered from the shipment.
Investigators believe the same technique may have been used in other consignments imported by the same company.
The documents showed no apparent discrepancies, allowing the consignments to pass through different stages of the cargo clearance process before reaching the release stage, according to investigation officials.
They suspect the operation exploited gaps in the international cargo system to bring gold into Bangladesh under the cover of legitimate fruit imports.
A second fruit shipment arrived in the same week as the seized consignment and was cleared without incident, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Officials believe the seized shipment may therefore represent only a small part of a larger smuggling network.
At least 10 shipments under one importer
Documents obtained during the investigation show a series of fruit consignments imported under the name of Food Link from Hong Kong.
16kg gold seizure exposes Tk300 crore smuggling route
Two shipments weighing 775kg and 742kg arrived in January 2025, while another weighing 696kg arrived in February.
Two more shipments, weighing 683kg and 688kg, arrived in March.
In July 2026, two separate consignments weighing 558kg and 636kg were imported.
Investigators have identified at least 10 shipments in total under the same importer’s name over the past year, with officials now rechecking each consignment.
Their preliminary assessment is that if the same quantity of gold recovered from the seized shipment had been concealed in the other consignments, the total value of the smuggled gold could be around Tk300 crore.
However, investigators have yet to establish that gold was actually carried in all of those shipments.
Customs raises concern over new route
Dhaka Customs House Additional Commissioner Mohammad Kamrul Islam said customs officials had so far identified five shipments linked to the investigation.
“We suspect the gold smuggling gang is now using the Hong Kong-Shahjalal Airport route as a new route,” he said.
He also pointed to a major limitation at the airport’s Cargo Village.
“There is no major scanner machine at the Cargo Village, so we cannot properly examine the consignments,” Kamrul said, adding that some of the current findings were based on assumptions.
“As a case has been filed, the actual facts will come out through the police investigation,” he said.
Questions over importer’s address
The investigation has also raised questions about the importer itself.
According to customs records, Food Link, listed at Plot-560, Manda, Uttarkhan, Dhaka-1230, was the registered importer of the consignments.
Its proprietor is identified as Md Golam Mostofa.
Investigators, however, found no office, warehouse or business operation at the registered address when they visited the location.
Officials involved in the preliminary investigation have consequently determined that the address appears to be fake.
The discovery has raised questions over how a company operating from a purportedly fictitious address managed to import multiple international consignments over an extended period and have them regularly cleared through the airport.
Investigators are also examining the role of those involved at different stages of the clearance process.
C&F agent not named as accused
Another issue drawing attention is the role of the clearing and forwarding agent.
Documents related to the seized shipment show that A Razzak Trading was tagged in ASYCUDA World for clearance of the consignment.
Fasttrack Cargo Solutions Limited was listed as the master cargo agent, while Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited was responsible for cargo handling.
Despite the investigation initially finding that the importer’s registered address was fake, the C&F agent involved in clearing the shipment has not been named as an accused in the case, raising further questions about the clearance process.
How the route allegedly worked
Sources in intelligence agencies and the customs department said Food Link had been regularly importing fruits from Hong Kong for a long period.
Investigators suspect the smugglers used specially designed concealed compartments inside fruit crates to transport gold bars while the accompanying documents declared only fruit.
The consignments reportedly arrived in Dhaka on cargo flights, including flights operated by Cathay Pacific Airways, from Hong Kong International Airport.
Investigators believe the network exploited weaknesses in the international cargo system to move gold through a route that appeared to be a legitimate commercial fruit-import channel.
The documents of the seized consignment show airway bill number 160-12740092.
The investigation is now focusing on the other consignments imported under Food Link’s name, as well as the individuals and agencies involved in their clearance.
The seized 16kg of gold may therefore prove to be only the visible part of a much larger operation.
Authorities are now working to determine whether the other shipments also carried gold and how the consignments were repeatedly cleared despite questions over the importer’s identity and address.