KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have seized two tankers with 30,000 liters of smuggled Iranian oil in Karachi, the customs department said on Saturday.
The two tankers were intercepted as they entered the port city from Balochistan province which borders Iran. The smuggled oil is estimated to be worth $135,000.
“Anti Smuggling team of Customs Enforcement Collectorate Karachi intercepted two Oil Tankers along with 4 drivers loaded with smuggled Iranian diesel near Mochko choke point and recovered 30,000 litres of smuggled diesel (15,000 litres in each). Total value of the seized smuggled diesel and tankers is estimated to be Rs 27.5 million,” the customs department said in a statement.
Syed Muhammad Irfan Ali, spokesperson of the Customs Enforcement Collectorate Karachi, told Arab News it was unclear whether the tankers crossed the border from Iran or filled in Balochistan, “but these are loaded with Iranian oil, which is illegal.”
Iranian oil has been regularly smuggled into neighboring Pakistan. as Iran has some of the world’s cheapest petrol and diesel prices due to very low production costs, international sanctions and a weak currency.
