Customs foils 12kg Marijuana smuggling bid at Karachi airport
How the shipment was intercepted
Customs officials said the seizure occurred during routine scanning of a shipment that arrived from Bangkok at the International Mail Office in Karachi on Saturday. Officials flagged two parcels originating from Thailand after detecting suspicious indicators during the screening process, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.
A detailed physical inspection followed the initial flagging. Preventive Officer Zahid Hussain found marijuana hidden inside plastic toy boxes during the examination. The narcotics were concealed inside boxes of plastic toys, Lego sets, model kits, toy cars, cut paper, and wooden blocks, apparently to evade inspection.
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Estimated value and case status
Pakistan Customs estimated the market value of the seized marijuana at Rs. 366.2 million. Customs officials seized the narcotics and registered a case under the relevant laws, and authorities have launched an investigation to identify those involved and dismantle the smuggling network behind the shipment.
The Federal Board of Revenue said the rapid growth of international e-commerce has increased cross-border shipments, creating new opportunities for criminal networks to misuse international mail services for drug trafficking.
This is not an isolated case. The latest seizure follows an earlier incident in October 2025, when Pakistan Customs in Karachi thwarted an attempt to smuggle 1.69kg of marijuana worth Rs52 million, also arriving from Thailand, in that case declared as amulets.
That October operation was part of a broader crackdown that also intercepted 1,945 MDMA pills worth Rs62 million hidden in a parcel labeled as a vacuum cleaner arriving from Belgium.
The case remains under investigation as authorities work to trace the supply chain behind the shipment and identify those responsible for orchestrating the attempted smuggling operation.
