Record marine operation foils attempt to smuggle 132,000 litres of Iranian diesel

ISLAMABAD: In, what it termed, a major success under the government’s ongoing anti-smuggling campaign, the Marine Enforcement Unit of the Collectorate of Customs (Enforcement), Karachi, has intercepted three vessels carrying a total of 132,564 litres of Iranian-origin High-Speed Diesel (HSD) marking one of the largest marine seizures to date.

According to a statement of FBR, the operation was conducted during the night between October 9 and 10, 2025, following credible intelligence regarding an attempt to transport smuggled petroleum products through coastal routes. Acting on the tip-off, a Marine Enforcement team comprising preventive officers Ayaz Ali and Saleem Yusuf swiftly moved into deep waters, tracking and intercepting the wooden launches near Somiani and Phor/Sapat areas.

The boats were successfully escorted to Karachi Port without any loss of life or property. The seized diesel has been valued at Rs33.14 million, while the wooden vessels are estimated at Rs45 million, bringing the total seizure value to Rs78.14 million — the highest-ever single operation recovery of petroleum products by the Marine Unit.

This operation follows a series of similar actions in September, when marine teams recovered 18,271 litres and 29,272 litres of smuggled HSD near Ormara and Sonmiani Bay, respectively. Officials noted that these consecutive operations demonstrate significant improvement in maritime surveillance, intelligence coordination, and inter-agency cooperation along Pakistan’s coastline, despite limited manpower and resources.

Authorities said that enhanced monitoring and better intelligence-sharing mechanisms are helping to curb the smuggling of petroleum products, which has been causing heavy losses to the national exchequer.

The Customs Enforcement Wing reaffirmed its commitment to continue targeted operations aimed at dismantling organized smuggling networks and strengthening maritime enforcement capacity in line with the government’s broader anti-smuggling strategy.