Pakistan Customs has foiled an attempt to smuggle 145kg of pangolin scales from Benazir Bhutto Intl' Airport, Islamabad to Hong Kong here on Monday. According to details, the Customs staff at BBI Airport seized 145kg of pangolin scales from the baggage of two suspected Chinese passengers departing for Hong Kong via flight No TG 350. The Chinese passengers identified as Lou Ruiyuan having passport No E112653H and Ying Fulan having passport No E04400002 were allowed to proceed abroad after fulfilling formalities. The recovered pangolin scales have been seized for violation of the provisions of section 16 and 139 of the Customs Act, 1969 read with S No 1 of Schedule-I of Export Policy Order, 2013. According to estimates in international market value of seized pangolin scales is approximately US $150,000.00. (PKR 15,000,000) Pakistan is signatory to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Under CITES cross border movement of pangolins, their scales and meat is illegal. However, due to its use in Chinese traditional medicines there is ever increasing demand of pangolin scales in China where these scales are sold at a very high price. They have become the most frequently seized mammal in Asia's illegal wildlife trade, as smugglers sell the creatures to meet culinary and medicinal demand in China. The high price of pangolin scales in international market attracts smugglers to indulge into smuggling of pangolin scales. Indian pangolin is found in Pakistan locally called "salla". People capture and sell it out due to demand for its scales. The price of this animal is around Rs 8000/- to Rs 12000/-. One kg of scales is obtained at least from three animals. In a second incident, the customs department has seized 1.00 kg of heroin at Intl' Mail Office, Chaklala Garrison, Rawalpindi from a parcel booked for UK. While clearing export parcels the Customs staff at Intl Mail Office, Chaklala found a parcel suspected. The parcel was comprised of factory sealed, twelve tins of sweets (Multani Halwa) booked by a resident of Hayatabad, Peshawar for a resident of Bermingham, UK. The detailed examination of the sweet tins revealed that out of twelve tins, four contained heroin instead of sweet despite the fact that tins were factory sealed. FIR No 10/2014, dated 29-03-2014 has been lodged against the consignee with Investigation and Prosecution Branch of Model Customs Collectorate, Islamabad. The names of consigner, consignee and the brand of sweet have been kept confidential due to ongoing investigation, sources added. (Source : Business Recorder)