By Akinyi Winiefred
As Ugandans prepared to celebrate Independence day, a group of economic saboteurs in Arua district had different ideas to saturate the market with illegal cigarettes.
However, their plans took a nosedive as the customs officers in the district intercepted them and impounded the contraband.
Thomas Galiwango, a customs officer attached to the URA office in Arua explained that they received intelligence about the planned move to transport “high-value” cargo to Kampala.
“At 2:00 a.m. on independence, we received the long-awaited call that our target vehicle had set off. We departed base and took a different route. The team had deployed three motorbikes to trail our pickup. Unbeknownst to the smugglers, the detour route was to lead us right into the ambush spot where we had already deployed,” narrated Galiwango.
The plan paid off at 3:00 a.m. as the truck registration number UAX 294Q was sighted. A speed chase ensued and ended with the driver taking off into the nearby bushes.
Upon thorough inspection of the truck, 68 cartons of Oris cigarettes concealed in plastic scrap were recovered. These are currently held at the URA office in Arua and offence management is underway.
