By Immaculate Wanyenze
The lure of easy money often pushes smugglers to engage in risky vices so as to dodge tax. They use porous routes through different border points till they find their way to Kampala. However, with the recently launched country-wide campaign dubbed Operation Fire-Up, all people engaged in illicit activities will be penalized.
Recently, the enforcement teams in Busia and Busitema closed off a consolidation center at Nabuwambo, Busia for being in possession of contraband items. The items were rice and garments. An intelligence network was deployed to monitor every move of the smugglers at their premises. These were got loading a truck and upon verification, 26 packages of assorted garments and 100bags of 25kgs of basmati rice branded Aisha.
In the Katuna-Mirama, the enforcement catch yielded 2 motorcycles, 218 kitenge fabrics,27 cartons of uncustomized cosmetics, and 221 contraband cosmetics. These were intercepted on truck number UBB 677M from Butogota through Rukungiri to Kampala.
These goods have been seized and suspects are in Kampala for further offence management.
At Entebbe Airport, despite the introduction of x-ray technologies, there are some clients who prefer shortcuts. For example, a consignee: AGATEK ENTERPRISES LTD imported various items under consolidator GULF, vide Airway Bill No.109-10029854 ((146Pkgs aboard Uganda Airlines on15th May 2022).
However, upon undergoing the procedural pre-verification and the mandatory Non-Intrusive Inspection, the team identified x-ray inconsistencies with used laptops, 95 in number and shisha.
The detailed physical examination of all packages further revealed the items as; 2 shisha pots with flavors, 06pcs of Dell Latitude 3340, 31pcs of Dell Latitude 3350, 48pcs of Dell Latitude 2120, 03pcs of HP Elite book 820 G3 and 07pcs of Latitude E7240.
According to Geoffrey Balamaga, the Manager of Enforcement Operations, importation of used computers or laptops is prohibited, and therefore the used laptops will be forfeited while for the textiles, URA will undertake the offence process.
“Investigations are still ongoing for most of these cases and once they are concluded, suspects will be paraded before courts of law so that justice prevails,” Balamaga said.
On the other hand, Julius Nkwasire, the Assistant Commissioner Enforcement warned smugglers of URA’s readiness to penalize them for all their illicit trading.
“Although smugglers keep evolving with new tricks, we shall not give up enforcement. We have more than 40 scanners now at the different boarder stations, we are also collaborating as government agencies through sharing of information which we are using to net culprits,”
Uganda Revenue Authority, therefore, wishes to retaliate its commitment to fighting smuggling of all sorts and liberating Uganda from economic saboteurs engaging in illicit trade. The general public is encouraged to report to URA all questionable trade practices to enable URA create a level trading ground for all legitimate traders.
