A large quantity of foreign cigarettes has been seized while loading the ship after breaking the customs and security cordon of Tribhuvan International Airport. Airport customs office seized 32 cartons of cigarettes last Tuesday, including 26 foreign ones and 6 domestic ones, while they were preparing to load them onto a plane bound for Qatar for export.

After completing all the procedures to be checked by the customs, including scanning the X-ray machine, the customs received information about the illegal export of cigarettes when they were about to be loaded onto the ship. Based on that, 26 cartoons with UAE and 6 cartoons of Nepali Shikhar cigarettes were seized and an investigation was started, said Airport Chief Customs Administrator Dilip Kumar Gautam.

During the inspection of 85 cartons of export goods, 26 cartons of cigarettes were also scanned in the X-ray machine, he said. Out of the 288 cartons of goods that were checked, 6 cartons of Shikhar cigarettes were found. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the seized cigarettes were about to be sent abroad through Qatar Airways. Foreign brands of cigarettes had UAE written on the outside. According to customs officials, it is estimated that it was made in the UAE. 

Gautam says that there is a problem in identification because cigarettes or other objects are not separated when the cartoon is placed in the X-ray machine. "It is natural to ask why the staff and security didn't look after the cigarettes were recovered," said Gautam, "but, if the cigarette carton is put back in the machine, it cannot be identified." 

The customs department officials say that it is not possible without collusion because the exported goods were seized only after receiving information after reaching the ship's door. Stakeholders claim that it is not possible to find undeclared goods in 26 cartons, not just one or two cartons. 

"By whose weakness such goods were given a customs and security gate pass, we will take a deep look," said Mahesh Bhattarai, director general of the customs department, "we will bring those found guilty under the scope of action." 

Customs officials say that how foreign cigarettes entered Nepal and why they tried to send them abroad again through Nepal will also be investigated. A 5-member investigation committee has been formed under the leadership of the Deputy Secretary of the Airport Customs Office to investigate the incident.

It is reported that cartoons containing cigarettes have been set to be taken to London, America and Australia. Gautam said that it is not clear how many items are in the recovered cartoons. The department said that how the export goods that were not declared at the customs reached the ship is a subject of investigation. Director General Bhattarai said that an inquiry committee has been formed to take the incident seriously. 

'Which goods went out of customs and how much is secondary. But it is a serious matter that the customs are not aware of which and what kind of goods passed the inspection and reached the ship," he said. The customs staff admits that this is an example of how foreign goods can go out without the knowledge of the police and customs at the international airport. Sources claim that such goods go to the setting from time to time and now they have been recovered because someone has informed them.