Nearly Two Thousand Devices Intercepted At ICD
Customs Seizes Undeclared Drone Consignment Worth One Crore
- Dhaka ICD Customs intercepts 1,980 commercial unmanned drones disguised as toys
- Seized shipment weighs 658 kilograms with market value estimated at one crore taka
- Aeronautical flight capabilities and spectrum limits assessed under Customs Act 2023
Highlighting stringent regulatory oversight surrounding autonomous aeronautical hardware, wireless transceivers, and restricted airspace systems, the Dhaka ICD Customs House has intercepted a massive consignment of commercial unmanned aerial vehicles falsely declared as rechargeable electronic toys.
According to an official regulatory bulletin issued by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, customs officers uncovered 1,980 fully assembled drones weighing 658 kilograms. Physical auditing established that the concealed electronics carry an estimated market valuation of nearly BDT 1 crore.
Emphasizing the enforcement mandate, Customs Commissioner Kazi Muhammad Ziauddin told media professionals: "Customs House, ICD maintains a zero-tolerance policy against the unauthorized entry of restricted merchandise and fraudulent revenue evasion. Rigorous physical audits and cargo monitoring will persist uninterrupted to ensure complete physical consistency against declared import manifests."
According to institutional sources, Dhaka-based importer 'Mim Collection' registered a bill of entry on September 27, 2026, purporting to clear standard shipments of rechargeable remote-controlled children's toys. Acting on targeted intelligence, enforcement officials conducted a comprehensive physical examination, uncovering advanced telemetry-enabled drones concealed beneath generic toy packaging.
Customs officials confirmed that specialized technical evaluations are actively underway to ascertain the hardware’s operational flight ceilings, payload metrics, and radio-frequency control bands to establish whether the seized inventory breaches national dual-use technology import thresholds. Investigators are simultaneously reviewing trade financing papers, bills of lading, and manifest documentation linked to the importing entity. Alongside assessing compensatory revenue and regulatory penalties, formal legal proceedings are being instituted under the Customs Act, 2023 and associated aviation compliance guidelines.
//DBTech/DPO/SMP/EMS//
