Pakistan Customs has intercepted a container at Karachi’s KICT after finding that its declared cargo of “Plastic Resin” was actually 25,430 kg of Cellulose Acetate Tow, a high-duty raw material used in cigarette manufacturing.

The shipment arrived from Jebel Ali Port in the UAE and was declared for onward movement to the Karachi Export Processing Zone (EPZ). However, the electronic Bill of Lading carried a different consignee address, listing EPZ Risalpur.

The container was flagged during scanning, prompting Customs officials to stop it on August 16 for a detailed examination.

What they found did not match the import declaration.

The cargo described as Plastic Resin was identified as Acetate Tow. Customs sent samples to a laboratory for confirmation, with the test report issued on August 19 identifying the material as Cellulose Acetate Tow.

The shipment contained more than 25.4 tons of the material and was valued at approximately Rs. 40 million.

The bigger issue was the potential tax impact.

According to Customs, the consignment carried around Rs. 308 million in leviable duties and taxes, making the alleged misdeclaration significant from a revenue perspective.

Cellulose Acetate Tow is primarily used as a raw material for cigarette filters and is subject to substantial duties and taxes when imported.

Customs has launched a further investigation to determine how the cargo was declared, who was responsible for the discrepancy, and what liabilities may arise from the case.

The interception highlights the importance of physical inspections and scanning in identifying high-duty goods that may be incorrectly declared in import documents.