CIID seizes goods worth Tk 11.34 million including Viagra and banned creams
The logo of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID).
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has conducted raids at the airport and the Foreign Post Office at Kamalapur Railway Station.
During the raids, officials seized medicines including Viagra and insulin, skin whitening creams banned for import, foreign cigarettes, gold jewelry, laptops, used mobile phones and alcoholic beverages.
The estimated market value of the seized goods from the operations conducted on October 13 and 14 was Tk 11,340,100.
The directorate said the operations uncovered new methods and routes used for smuggling. In addition to bringing sensitive medicines on international flights, officials identified a plan to transport goods to Chattogram through the airport's mail sorting center and the railway route via Kamalapur.
On October 14, officials searched the baggage of a passenger named Jahangir arriving on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET680 and seized approximately 55 kilograms of medicines including Viagra and insulin.
According to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, using Viagra without a doctor's advice and transporting sensitive medicines such as insulin without maintaining the required temperature pose risks to public health.
A day earlier, on October 13, officials conducted a raid at the Foreign Post Office at Kamalapur Railway Station and seized 7,787 pieces of Gouri cream banned for import and 31 used laptops.
The directorate said the goods had been brought into the country by air and were intended to be sent to the Chattogram General Post Office (GPO) through the airport's mail sorting center and the Railway Mail Service (RMS) center at Kamalapur.
The incident has highlighted the need for coordinated surveillance of goods transported by air, mail and rail.
On the same day, officials searched the baggage of passengers on various flights and seized 100 grams of gold jewelry, laptops, mobile phones including the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, 288 cartons of cigarettes, 46 kilograms of banned cream and 17 liters of alcoholic beverages.
According to figures provided by the directorate, the two-day operations resulted in the seizure of 531 cartons of foreign cigarettes, 7,787 pieces of Gouri cream from Kamalapur, 64.18 kilograms of banned skin whitening cream and 68 kilograms of other cosmetics from the airport, 55.8 kilograms of medicines including Viagra and insulin, 100 grams of gold jewelry, 32 laptops, three mobile phones and 17 liters of liquor and alcoholic beverages.
The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate said such operations would continue to prevent smuggling and revenue evasion, curb the illegal medicine trade and protect public health.
