KARACHI: Authorities arrested at least 12 employees of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) following the discovery of 6 kg (13.23 lb) of heroin in the toilet of an aircraft bound for Dubai, Reuters reported a PIA spokesperson Danyal Gilani as saying on Monday.
The latest instance of misbehaviour by the PIA staff was uncovered after the military-run Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) raided a flight from Lahore to Dubai on Saturday, he said. “Around a dozen employees of the PIA have been detained and are being interrogated in connection with heroin seizure.” He added that if proven guilty, the arrested would face action with respect to their jobs, in addition to the legal consequences.
The inquiry regarding the incident is expected to be completed within a time frame of 60 days. In June last year, the airline sacked five cabin crew members who had been detained in Britain on accusations of trying to smuggle mobile phones and foreign currency.
In 2013, a PIA pilot was jailed for nine months in Britain after being found to be over three times Britain’s legal alcohol limit for flying, just before he was due to take off with 156 people aboard. For nearly three years, the government had struggled to find private buyers for the airline. In februaru this year, the employees staged a three-day strike to oppose privatisation.
