KARACHI: Customs staff seized over 29 kilograms of heroin powder, worth over Rs290 million, from two Pakistan International Airlines aircraft parked at Jinnah International Airport within 10 days, said a top official on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, customs chief collector Zahid Khokhar said both the aircraft had returned from Saudi Arabia before the contraband was seized from them. Cases had been registered against unnamed persons, but no one had yet been arrested and investigations continued, he said.

After the recovery of the first batch of heroin from the aircraft, the customs staffers had not searched the aircraft thoroughly and the second batch was also recovered from the same aircraft five six days later.

He said that the first recovery was made from the aircraft (Registration No. AP BGK) that was parked at Bay 2 inside the Isphahani hanger at the old terminal of the airport on May 25 and nine cotton bags containing white heroin powder weighing 27 kilograms was seized. The Lahore-bound aircraft had arrived from Jeddah on May 22 and was parked in the hanger for maintenance.

On information the customs team again searched the same aircraft (AP BGK) on June 1, still parked at the Isphahani hanger and recovered two polythene bags containing 1kg light-brown heroin powder from the ceiling of its two lavatories.

He said that two days later, customs officials on information searched another aircraft (AP BGJ) parked at Bay 25 at the airport and recovered a black polythene packet containing 700 grams light-brown heroin power on June 3.

He said cases had been registered while investigations at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad were under way so that the culprits could be arrested. The total weight of the contraband was around 29kg and its value was roughly Rs290 million, added Mr Khokhar.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2016