Customs intelligence officials seized 90 e-cigarettes and vapes, 166 cartons of cigarettes, 12 kilogrammes of banned Gouri cream and 100 grammes of gold ornaments in separate operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on Nov 6 and 7, according to a press release.

The seized goods are estimated to be worth Tk 32,02,500 (about 3.2 million taka), it said.

Acting on a tip-off, officials of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) took up position at the airport on Nov 6. They searched the baggage of a passenger, Sultana Razia, who had arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG-387.

The search led to the recovery of the 90 e-cigarettes and vapes, 12 kg of Gouri cream, which is prohibited, and 100 grammes of gold ornaments from her baggage.

Customs officials said the passenger’s passport showed an entry that she had brought in 100 grammes of gold ornaments on Aug 13 this year. As she was carrying another 100 grammes in the same year, they seized the gold under the applicable baggage regulations.

In a separate operation on Nov 7, officials seized 166 cartons of cigarettes found abandoned near the baggage carousel of Qatar Airways flight QR-640, which had arrived from Qatar.

The CIID described the recovery of e-cigarettes and vapes from passenger baggage as an emerging trend in smuggling. It said its surveillance and anti-smuggling operations would continue to protect government revenue and to stop prohibited and potentially harmful products entering the country.