Correspondence by Jacquiline Emodek, Customs Planning and Amayo Douglas (Arua Enforcement)
The URA team in Arua established intelligence from a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) source about a notorious smuggler returning to Uganda with illicit goods.
The team mapped out the potential routes that the smuggler would use upon verifying the informer’s alert and later spent the day waiting for the smuggler’s arrival late in the evening.
The truck was camouflaged as transporting cement with the presence of cement residues in the truck.
Nevertheless, the proper officer was not convinced and his curiosity paid off when he realized that the inside of the truck seemed to be shorter than the outside.
The team went on to measure both inside and outside using strides and it is at this point that they uncovered a false compartment at the end of the truck.
Realizing his luck had run out, the smuggler confessed that indeed the truck had been used for transporting cement to DRC.
However, on his way back through Odramacaku at the border, he was convinced by a one Kakole to transport the smuggled cigarettes to Onduparaka.
They then offloaded the goods and put them in a URA Customs Warehouse.
On verification, the following were found:
- 8949 bombas X 10packets X 20 Sticks of Super match Cigarettes King Size; C.O.O- South Sudan
- 1049 packets X 20 sticks of Super match Cigarettes King Size; C.O.O- South Sudan
- 171 bombas X 200pcs of Business Royal Super Slim Strawberry High-Class Cigarettes
- M/V UAT298F
Offence management is underway.
