A total of 536 cartons of cigarettes and 8 smartphones were seized from two passengers arriving at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram on a Salam Air flight from Muscat, Oman, on Thursday morning.
The items were recovered during a joint operation conducted by Airport Customs, Customs Intelligence, NSI, and DGFI inside the airport customs hall.
According to Airport Public Relations Officer Engineer Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, the goods were seized from two passengers — Dilip Das of Raozan and Mohammad Selim of Fatikchhari.
Customs officials found 266 cartons of cigarettes and 4 Google Pixel smartphones in the baggage of Mohammad Selim. Meanwhile, Dilip Das was carrying 270 cartons of cigarettes, along with 2 Google Pixel and 2 Sony Xperia smartphones.
The seized items, brought in violation of Import Control Rules 2025, were estimated to be worth around Tk 18.76 lakh for the cigarettes and Tk 4.40 lakh for the smartphones.
Both passengers were identified as frequent travellers. After initial questioning, they were released with a verbal warning, airport sources confirmed.
Authorities stated that strict monitoring will continue to prevent the smuggling of restricted or undeclared goods through the airport.
