Chattogram Customs House has seized 4.2 tonnes of Sodium Cyclamate, a banned artificial sweetener, at Chattogram Port.

The chemical was imported concealed within a consignment declared as Polyaluminium Chloride (PAC) by Keraniganj-based Ezaz Trading.

In a press release yesterday, the customs authorities said that acting on a tip-off, the Audit, Investigation and Research (AIR) team of Chattogram Customs House, with assistance from the Central Intelligence Cell in Dhaka, conducted a drive and seized the banned item.

Sodium Cyclamate is 30–50 times sweeter than regular sugar and is often used illegally by unscrupulous traders in sweets, bakery products, ice creams, juices, chocolates, condensed milk and even baby food as a cheap substitute for sugar, said the release.

Health experts warn that the substance can cause cancer as well as severe kidney and liver complications. For these reasons, its import is completely prohibited under the Import Policy Order 2021–2024.

According to data from Chattogram Customs House and the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, over 220 tonnes of Sodium Cyclamate have been seized from at least six consignments at Chattogram Port in the last four years.

Md Tarek Mahmud, deputy director of Chattogram Customs House, said, "For a long time, unethical importers have been trying to bring banned Sodium Cyclamate into the country through false declarations. Customs has intensified its surveillance in this regard."