Heroin Smuggling to UK: Tax intelligence checking returns of BD Foods

Jasim Uddin Khan

Income tax intelligence launched an investigation of BD Foods Limited and King and Co by scrutinising their income tax returns, to detect if there is any disparity between their actual incomes and their declared incomes.

The drive was launched recently following a report prepared by the National Board of Revenue (NBR), which found some of the directors of the companies guilty of smuggling heroin in the guise of exporting legitimate products to the United Kingdom.

A primary investigation report found that a leading private company, BD Foods Limited, and its sister concern King & Co manipulated the entire export process to smuggle the illicit drug to the UK.

"If the companies are involved with such international drug smuggling rackets, they must have transacted a huge amount of black money through their banking channels. We will examine their bank accounts and life style details of the owners," an income tax high official said.

"We might freeze their bank accounts if we find that the directors transacted beyond their annual expected transaction," the tax official said.

Sources said BD Foods Limited raised their paid up capital to Tk 4.51 crore from only Tk 1.0 lakh within two and a half years, which is an abnormal fast pace for such an increase in the capital.

The company also brought massive changes in its ownership pattern.

It was reported earlier that Badrul Haider Choudhury is the chairman of BD Foods Limited, but further investigation found that Bodrudoza Momen is the chairman of the company, and his eldest son Badrul Haider Choudhury is the managing director, while his other two sons Abu Shariar and Tafim Al Azmi are the directors.

Primarily, Bodrudoza Momen owned 55 percent of the shares of BD Foods and his sons owned 15 percent each. Later the majority of the shares was transferred to the youngest son Tafim Al Azmi.

The home ministry and criminal investigation department are keeping mum about the case maintaining the highest level of confidentiality.

A home ministry official said they do not know about the development of the case while CID officials said they are continuing their investigation.

Government intelligence agencies found that the alleged smuggling racket smuggled 147 kilograms of heroin to the UK.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the Special Branch (SB) of police are also investigating the smuggling ring.

REJOINDER
Meanwhile, BD Foods Limited in a rejoinder Tuesday protested the report titled '5 Bangladeshi Companies smuggled heroin to Uk' published in The Daily Star on April 3.

In the rejoinder the company said the report that was published mentioning the names of BD Foods Limited and King & Co is completely false, baseless and intentional.

The rejoinder also said BD Foods Limited, King & Co and other sister concerns of the company are not involved in smuggling any illicit product. The company has no business relation with Messrs Emdad Trading, Messrs MM Enterprise, Messrs Green Haven Enterprise, and Messrs Jamil International and they are not sister concerns of BD Foods Limited, it claimed.

REPLY OF THE CORRESPONDENT
The news report was published on the basis of the primary investigation report by the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, and another investigation report by the National Board of Revenue. In the investigation reports the names of BD Foods Limited and King & Co were specifically mentioned. The reporter did not make any personal comment in the news report.