The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has imposed Rs2.7 billion penalties on M/s Gerry’s Dnata (Pvt) Ltd after its adjudication orders found its involvement in the illegal removal of high-value imported electronic goods by circumventing customs clearance procedures.
The scam, which came to light after a coordinated investigation by the Collectorate of Customs (Airports), Karachi, involved the concealment of airway bills, deletion of index numbers, and the generation of fake gate passes through Gerry’s Dnata’s own computerized system, rendering consignments effectively invisible within the customs clearance framework and allowing them to be removed without the filing of Goods Declarations (GDs) or the payment of customs duty and taxes. The adjudicating authorities also ordered the recovery of Rs221 million in duties and taxes.
The fraud first surfaced when customs officials intercepted consignments at the Gerry’s shed containing high-value luxury electronics, including laptops, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, PlayStations, tablets, and memory cards, which were being removed through forged gate passes.
Subsequent investigations revealed that at least five additional consignments had already been illegally cleared through the same method. All implicated consignments originated from UAE-based suppliers and had been concealed from the WeBOC customs clearance system to avoid scrutiny.
The customs authorities arrested eight individuals, including five employees of Gerry’s Dnata. Confessional statements were recorded from the accused persons. A female employee admitted to having issued fake gate passes on the instructions of her supervisors, while an arrested cargo agent confessed to the existence of an organized network that had been operating for several years, engaged in manifest manipulation and systematic pilferage of imported goods.
Reporter: Ashraf Khan