Bangladesh
Alcohol Seize Bangladesh authorities confiscate huge quantity of foreign liquor smuggled from China
Dhaka, July 30: Exploiting the vulnerabilities of the Bangladesh import regulations, Chinese companies have been found to be involved in exporting prohibited items to Dhaka through illegal means.
Recently, a case of smuggling of huge quantities of foreign liquor from China has been unearthed in Bangladesh. On July 22, a major consignment from China containing over 2700 cartons of foreign liquor was confiscated on the Chittagong-Dhaka highway in a special operation by Bangladesh (BD) authorities. As per reports, documents had been forged and fabricated insurance papers were produced before the customs authority to manage release of 2760 cartons of liquor. The importers had made a false declaration of importing ‘yarn of polyster’. The huge quantity of liquor arrived in five containers. Had the consignment managed to pass, the revenue loss for the Bangladesh government would have been around 60 to 70 crore Taka.
Earlier prohibited items were seized (May, 2022) by BD law enforcement agencies including 19 tonnes (788 packets) of Sodium Cyclamate (SC), concealed under the label of Soda Ash Light. The consignment had originated from CNTAO Qingdao Port, China and arrived in Chittagong. HUBCoL, a leading Chinese brand mainly engaged in food additives and pharmaceutical materials, had supposedly declared to send a consignment of Soda Ash Light to one of its Dhaka based associates but the consignment turned out to contain SC, which is basically a type of a condensed sugar that is 30 to 50 times sweeter than the ordinary one. The consumption of SC increases the risk of contracting cancer.
These incidents are not isolated ones, rather they add to the long list of malpractices by Chinese companies indulging in tax evasion in Bangladesh. In January 2022, a Chinese company Digi Anti Fake Company had reportedly supplied counterfeit bandrolls (a thin ribbon wrapped on bidi and cigarette packets) resulting in fraudulent tax evasion of BD Taka 250 crore for Bangladesh. The company was also found involved in printing counterfeit Bangladeshi passports, ballot papers, national identity cards, birth registration certificates etc.
In December 2021, Bangladesh officials had detected involvement of China Road & Bridge Construction (CRBC) company, engaged in the construction of road and bridges in Bangladesh in tax evasion while importing construction material for government projects. In another case of tax evasion, it was revealed that Tianye Outdoor (BD) Co Ltd (TOCL), a subsidiary of Chinese company Comefly Outdoor Co Ltd had allegedly indulged in tax evasion and fraud to the tune of about BD Taka 21 crore.
It is time the Bangladesh government calls out Beijing to put a check on the corruption and criminality of the Chinese companies operating in Bangladesh. It should also question how illegal consignments destined for Dhaka are being permitted by Chinese customs authorities.
