Phone Smuggling Bust: Woman Nabbed at Karachi Airport With 23 iPhone 15 Pro Max

Last Sunday, there was a brave effort by Pakistan Customs officers at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport to stop a smuggling attempt. They managed to prevent the illegal transportation of 23 brand-new iPhone 15 Pro Max units worth a whopping Rs. 9.2 million.

The customs officers were working at the airport’s International Arrival Lounge when they noticed a woman arriving in Karachi from Sharjah on an Air Arabia flight. Something about her travel raised suspicions, and when she headed towards the “green channel,” usually for passengers with nothing to declare, the officers decided to investigate further.

The woman was questioned about her luggage, but her answers didn’t satisfy the customs officials. This prompted them to take a closer look at her bags. During this examination, they found empty boxes hidden within her bags. These boxes were supposed to be empty but contained mobile phones and graphics cards. Realizing something was wrong, the customs officers quickly moved her belongings to the examination counter.

Dubai Emerges as the Most Used Route for Mobile Smuggling in Pakistan

A more thorough search revealed a surprising discovery. The woman had 23 iPhone 15 Pro Max units attached to her body. The total value of all these fancy phones was a whopping Rs. 9.2 million. If you add in the required duty tax of Rs. 4.3 million, it becomes an even more significant amount.

In response to this, the Customs spokesperson, Mr. Syed Irfan Ali, shared that the woman was immediately taken into custody, and the mobile phones were seized as evidence.

This incident highlights a growing issue of smuggled mobile phones making their way into Pakistan, often through the Dubai route. The government, along with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), has been aware of many smugglers involved in these activities and has started a crackdown to stop them.