The government has prevented the illegal transfer of cash worth over $1.6 million as well at least 18 kilograms of gold and a high amount of drugs at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul over the last four months, officials of the airport said.
Figures by airport officials show that over the last four months they have prevented the illegal transfer of $,700,000, 600,000 euros and 70,000 dirhams, as well as, the smuggling of 900 kilograms of drugs, 18 kilograms of gold, and 14 kilograms of ‘K tablets,’ a type of drug.
Late last month, a lawmaker, Abdul Hamid Sharifi, was arrested at Hamid Karzai International Airport on charges of smuggling 200,000 euros. His arrest was initially denied by officials, but later, lawmakers confirmed that the MP has been arrested.
According to government figures, the illegal transfer of over 600 shipments of cash, gold, and precious stones worth $11 million has been prevented in the country’s airports over the last seven months.
According to data by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Afghanistan (FinTRACA), which operates under the Central Bank, the authority prevented the illegal transfer–in and out– of over 2,780 shipments of currency, gold and other precious stones worth more than $50.3 million in 2019.
Based on airport regulations, each passenger can carry up to $10,000. With a license, a businessperson can carry up to $20,000.
Further measures have been put in place to find those behind smuggling money out of the country, said Omar Saboor, head of Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“There are big hands behind this,” Saboor said. “How those people who are hardly affording their daily needs become able to get a flight?”
The head of the airport said that they have assigned 30 policewomen to identify if anyone attempts to travel with fake documents.
“We had 36 suspected cases despite we had a limited number of flights,” said Daryush Behmanish, head Hamid Karzai International Airport traffic control department.
He said that 60 percent of the airport traffic control department has been equipped wth modern equipment.
