32 cartons of foreign cigarettes seized at Kathmandu airport before being loaded on plane

A large shipment of goods, including 32 cartons of foreign cigarettes, was stopped at Tribhuvan International Airport just before being loaded onto a plane without customs declaration.

According to airport customs officials, the items were being exported without any official declaration or customs clearance. Customs chief Dilip Kumar Gautam said they acted on a special tip-off and stopped the shipment on Tuesday evening before it could be loaded onto a flight to Qatar.

“We are investigating how the goods got through customs and security checks all the way to the aircraft door,” Gautam said. “We suspect there was coordination or negligence, and the matter is under investigation.”

Some of the cigarettes were reportedly from Canada. Authorities are now investigating how these foreign cigarettes entered Nepal and why there was an attempt to send them abroad again.

Customs officials said foreign cigarettes often enter Nepal illegally through open borders. Now, the concern is whether the attempt to export them was done in coordination with police, customs agents, or staff, or due to carelessness.

The suspicious goods were caught while being placed on a trolley to be loaded onto the plane.

A five-member investigation committee, led by an undersecretary at the airport customs office, has been formed to look into the incident.

Initial findings show that the 32 cartons contained a mix of Canadian and Nepali cigarettes, sukuti (dried meat), and other food items. These were being packed and sent to destinations like London, the U.S., and Australia—without any customs declaration.

“The issue isn’t just about how many goods left the airport, but how such items made it all the way to the aircraft without customs clearance. That’s very serious,” said Mahesh Bhattarai, Director General of the Customs Department. “That’s why we’ve formed a committee to investigate.”