URA recently impounded rice at a consolidation center in Muwayo along sibala road in Busia. Following intelligence reports, the home in muwayo, notoriously used for smuggling had been evasive for a while, until last week.
The team recovered more than 7.5 tons of premium rice and assortments of taxable items in taxi and motorcycle.
During the operation, another truck conveying 10 tons of waste steel scrap from Kenya was impounded. And in Mbale, 4 tons of rice where intercepted from 2 smugglers.
At the end of the operation, the URA team was able to discover the following items;
- 255 bags of assorted brands long grain biryani rice
- 20 packs of 40 kilograms each of Muhamood Bamati rice
- 102 packs of 5 kilograms each of Hillal Basmati rice
- 800 pieces of unisex polyester spandex sports jerseys
- 76 packs of worn clothing
- 39 packs of worn shoes
- 85 cartons of dunia wheat flour
- 65 cartons of Pembe wheat flour
- 13 cartons of Ajab wheat flour
- 35 jerrycans of cooking oil
- 156 cartons of kibuyu laundry bar soap
- 10 tons of waste steel scrap
- 4 tons of rice
Asked why there is continued smuggling on some items, Abel Kagumire, the Commissioner Customs noted that changes in tax policy measures.
“If they have announced a tax policy measure for example on textiles and garments and they happen to increase taxes on them, that means that the entire period URA will run after those particular smugglers,” Kagumire explained.
