PIA drug bust: Aviation advisor says UK yet to share details

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Adviser on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Abbasi said on Thursday that the UK Border Force have not yet given any formal information to the government of Pakistan on the presence of heroin in the PIA plane.

Speaking in a senate committee on PIA, he said that the plane was earlier cleared by UK Border Force after a thorough check at Heathrow Airport, but later as many as 30 people from the agency entered in the plane with cameras and sniffing dogs.

Abbasi informed that the UK Border Force took four and a half hours to search the plane and later cheif of British war crime informed the press that heroin was found from it.

"We have asked our Ambassador to contact border force so that we can also investigate the case," he said.

Heroin "concealed in packets" was seized from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK-785 in an intelligence-based operation, UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed to Geo News on Tuesday.

“National Crime Agency officers are investigating following the seizure of a quantity of heroin found by Border Force officers onboard a flight from Pakistan at Heathrow on Monday, May 15. No arrests have been made, inquiries are ongoing,” an NCA spokesman told Geo News.

Earlier, 13 crew members of PIA PK-785 who had arrived from Islamabad were detained at the Heathrow Airport. The crew members were kept in detention for five hours, and according to UK Border Agency (UKBA) sources, information had been received from Pakistan that there were narcotics onboard the flight. According to the information, there was a suspicion that the crew might be involved and that narcotics were hidden in different panels and areas of the plane.

The crew was released at 2 AM (GMT) after being questioned and their passports were held by the UKBA which states that further questioning might take place.

PIA station manager Sajid ullah has confirmed that the authorities have handed back the passport of the pilot, while the rest of the crew will get their passports tomorrow.

Customs authorities in Pakistan begin probe

Customs authorities in Pakistan have started an investigation into how the plane laden with heroin was provided clearance to fly.

The authorities have begun a probe against staff responsible for giving the clearance.

PIA crew alleges false information being given to defame airline

The PIA crew while speaking to Geo News said that the customs authorities carried out a thorough search going through each and every thing, adding they have no clue as to why such treatment was meted out to them.

The crew said the authorities also questioned them, and inquired the crew what part of the plane were they assigned to.

The airline is being defamed by giving out false information, the crew alleged.

In a statement, the Metropolitan police said action against PIA crew members was taken by the UKBA which is directly dealt by the Home Office.

Earlier, PIA sources said that the UKBA and the NCA have yet to notify the airline about the discovery of heroin in the plane. The UKBA, however, has said that the PIA has been notified in both Pakistan and in the UK.

Both PIA and the NCA confirmed that 30 UKBA agents participated in the operation last night. The agents were equipped with cameras, and conducted live filming to secure evidence, assisted by sniffing dogs who were also brought on the plane.

The operation on the plane continued for three hours , after which the plane was declared clean following the complete removal of heroin.