Chattogram Custom House has seized 4,200 kilograms of the prohibited artificial sweetener Sodium Cyclamate from a container at Chattogram Port.
According to an NBR press release, the intelligence wing of Chattogram Custom House carried out the operation based on secret information, with support from the Central Intelligence Cell (CIC) in Dhaka.
The consignment, imported by Keraniganj-based Ejaz Trading, was declared as Polyaluminium Chloride. The container, carrying a total of 22,088 kilograms of products from China, arrived at the port on October 21.
Acting on intelligence alerts, Customs officers suspended the release of the consignment and conducted a physical inspection on November 6. During the examination, officials found two types of goods inside. Samples sent to the Customs laboratory confirmed that 17,800 kilograms matched the declared Polyaluminium Chloride, while the remaining 4,200 kilograms were Sodium Cyclamate — a sweetener banned in Bangladesh due to serious health risks.
Sodium Cyclamate is 30 to 50 times sweeter than sugar and is often misused in confectionery, processed foods, beverages, chocolates, and even baby food. Studies have linked it to cancer, and severe kidney and liver complications.
Customs authorities seized the undeclared sweetener under the Customs Act, 2023, and legal proceedings are underway.
The NBR noted that on September 16 and October 28, Customs intercepted two other consignments totaling nearly 100 tonnes of Sodium Cyclamate at Chattogram Port.
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