Amendment sought in Customs Act to curb postal smuggling

            Thought officials find it hard to admit that smuggling of narcotics has increased, latest figures from the Customs department highlight a sharp rise in seizure of contraband materials booked through courier and post.

            Observing that there has been substantial increase in smuggling through postal channels, the department has sought an amendment to the Customs Act, so it could be made mandatory for India Post to obtain proof of identity from persons booking the consignments. As many as 44 seizures of heroin packets — booked from the courier terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport — were made from August last to January this year. According to Customs officials, the probability of offenders being caught in this mode of trafficking is minimal, and even if one or two consignments do get intercepted, it doesn’t make much of a difference to the senders. Courier consignments provide much-needed anonymity to the senders.

             “While probing these cases, we observed that the export parcels containing narcotic drugs bear incomplete or fake particulars of the sender,” said Mahendra Ranga, Additional Commissioner of Customs (Air Cargo Exports).

            The Customs department has already written to the Ministry of Home, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and India Post, suggesting amendments in the law to incorporate provisions for seeking identity proof from persons sending parcels out of the country.

            “The Customs department is the statutory body for regulating the clearance of goods leaving India or coming into India. Some of these goods move through Foreign Post Offices operated by India Post. The facility is primarily meant for clearance of small consignments such as written mail, gifts, etc. However, it has been observed that the Foreign Post Office is being increasingly used by unscrupulous elements for smuggling narcotic drugs. This is done by concealing narcotics in false cavities of various export goods like lipsticks, eyeliners, bicycle parts, marker pens, toys, readymade garments and cardboard boxes,” said a letter sent by the department to the NCB last year.

            From January to August 2010 alone, 92 cases of heroin (19.6 kg) and eight cases of hashish (13.11 kg) were booked at the New Delhi Foreign Post Office by the Customs department. In 2009-10, 47 cases of heroin (14.65 kg) and 12 cases of hashish (19.68 kg) were booked. At the courier terminal, 44 cases of heroin (13.76 kg) were booked from August 2010 to January this year, while the figure stood at 11 cases in 2009-10 with 6.64 kg of heroin.

            “Clearance of postal goods by Customs is governed by the ‘Rules regarding postal parcels and letter packets from foreign ports in and out of India’ issued under the Customs Act. The objective can, therefore, be met by making provisions to this effect in the Customs law,” the Customs department has written.

            Ranga said one of the biggest challenges faced by the department was the fact that consigners were being allowed anonymity while sending parcels through the postal route. “The matter is being taken up at the ministry level to introduce the provision, though India Post is not very enthusiastic about the idea,” he said. An official with India Post said that, as of now, there’s no urgent requirement for such a provision.

Courtesy: indianexpress.com, Feb 9, 2011