Customs seizes marijuana worth Rs366.2m at Karachi mail office

KARACHI: Pakistan Customs said it intercepted 12 kilogrammes of marijuana during routine scanning of a shipment that arrived from Bangkok at the International Mail Office in Karachi on Saturday.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, customs officials flagged two parcels originating from Thailand after detecting suspicious indicators during the screening process. The statement said the narcotics seized had an estimated market value of Rs366.2 million.

Officials said a detailed physical inspection of the consignments was carried out after the parcels were stopped. During the examination, Preventive Officer Zahid Hussain found marijuana hidden inside plastic toy boxes. The parcels had been declared as containing plastic toys and wooden rocks, the statement added.

Customs said the drugs were recovered from two consignments weighing 7kg and 5kg. The seized narcotics were subsequently handed over to the Directorate of Enforcement and Compliance for legal action.

The press release said a first information report had been registered and that investigations were in progress to trace the individuals and networks linked to the attempted smuggling.

The statement said Pakistan Customs remained focused on intelligence-based enforcement and strict implementation of customs laws in order to safeguard national security and public safety.

The latest seizure follows an earlier case reported in October 2025, when Pakistan Customs in Karachi thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1.69kg of marijuana worth Rs52 million into Pakistan in a parcel arriving from Thailand. In that case, the package had been declared as containing amulets.