KARACHI: The authorities arrested 12 staff members of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), following the discovery of six kilogrammes of heroin in the toilet of an aircraft bound for Dubai, airline spokesperson said on Monday.
The latest instance of misbehaviour by the staff of cash-strapped PIA was uncovered after the military-run Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), raided a flight from Lahore to Dubai flight on Saturday, Danyal Gilani said.
“Around a dozen employees of PIA have been detained and are being interrogated in connection with heroin seizure,” he said. “If proven guilty, they will face action with respect to their jobs, in addition to the legal consequences,” he added.
The airline, in June last year, sacked five cabin crews who had been detained in Britain on accusations of smuggling mobile phones and foreign currency.
Similarly, a PIA pilot, in 2013, 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.
The government, for nearly three years, has struggled to find private buyers for the airline. The employees staged a three-day strike in February to oppose privatization process.
