ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue (IR) confiscated illegal tobacco and other materials in a blatant move against illegal cigarette making unit in Buner.
Documents available with Daily Times revealed that Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation FBR conducted a raid on unregistered cigarette manufacturing unit in Buner that is run by Waheed Khan without having the federal excise certificate. The officers eventually seized the four Federal excise duty machinery and other available material in this regard.
Documents indicated the team raided the manufacturing premises last week but the said manufacturing facility was found closed. A man was found having a lit fire in a faroff corner of the closed premises but despite repeated calls and shouts, he gave no response to open the main gate. No other person in or around the factory was found. The team returned back and decided to visit the place under federal excise law again on Saturday.
The team visited again on Saturday and the factory was opened. Four cigarette making machines and one each packing wrapping and bundling machines were being installed. The examination of these machines showed they had been purchased from Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd and M/s Lakson Tobacco Pakistan.
A Document stated that one cigarette machine was run on a trial basis but was found non operational on the day of the visit. Some residuals of trail production were found but no raw material or finished stock either of tobacco or cigarette material was discovered, meaning thereby that machinery was not fully installed or probably under the process of installation. No stock or manufacturing material was found, so the machines were not seized.
Documents further revealed that officials interviewed Waheed Khan, who was unaware of the name of their factory and the brands of tobacco to be manufactured.