Police have arrested eight suspects and seized 50kg of methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, during an intelligence-based raid on a warehouse in Karachi’s Mehran Town, Korangi, on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-West Irfan Ali Baloch, who heads the Police Task Force on Narcotics in Karachi, said that the suspects were allegedly operating an “international narcotics nexus” involved in transporting drugs from Pakistan to Malaysia and the Philippines.
He said that the recovered methamphetamine was worth between Rs800 million and Rs900 million.
According to Baloch, the consignment was intercepted before it could be exported and the network was preparing to move around 200-250kg of methamphetamine, with additional supplies expected to arrive in Karachi from Balochistan.
The DIG said that the task force, working with an intelligence agency, acted on credible information that narcotics were being concealed inside crates of tiles and marble at a warehouse in Mehran Town.
The drugs were allegedly being prepared for export to the Philippines under the cover of a legitimate commercial consignment.
“A covert operation was mounted against an international network trafficking methamphetamine (ice) to Malaysia and the Philippines,” Baloch said.
He added that the suspects were preparing to export the drugs in a container that had been declared as carrying tiles.
According to Baloch, the intercepted shipment was being moved along a Karachi-to-Philippines route, with overseas handlers in South Africa and Thailand linked to the network in Karachi. He said that the methamphetamine was sourced from Chaman in Balochistan, while hawala transactions were routed through Lahore.
Baloch identified Nazir Soomro as the main accused, saying he directed the procurement, concealment and attempted export of the drugs. Shahid Mastoi allegedly arranged and maintained the Mehran Town warehouse, while Sheikh Khalid provided storage and banking channels for local transactions.
The DIG said that Dr Noor Ahmed Khilji, an Afghan national holding a Pakistani CNIC, allegedly arranged the supply from Balochistan.
Another Afghan-origin suspect, Garan Khan, who also holds a Pakistani CNIC, was also allegedly involved in arranging the Balochistan supply.
Abdullah alias Wahab and Mohammed Kamran allegedly worked as couriers, with Kamran serving as a police constable posted in Malir. Nasir allegedly acted as an intermediary and distributor, facilitating transactions involving Dr Noor.
Baloch said that the arrests pointed to an “organised network” with domestic and international links covering procurement, financing, storage and attempted export.
He said that the use of a commercial marble consignment to conceal the drugs indicated the “deliberate exploitation of legitimate trade channels”.
“Overseas handlers, suppliers, financial facilitators, godown operators and clearing agents indicated a structured supply chain not an isolated attempt,” Baloch said.
He added that had the shipment reached its destination, it could have caused reputational damage to Pakistan internationally.
The Police Task Force on Narcotics, along with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), is now investigating the arrested suspects to identify other facilitators and beneficiaries and trace the network’s financial trail, including cryptocurrency and local bank accounts.
Baloch said that authorities were also verifying the identities and roles of suspected foreign handlers in Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa in coordination with law enforcement agencies, customs authorities and international counterparts.
