By Annet Nantongo
URA enforcement teams across country made sweeps across different towns this week. In Tororo, the team foiled a cookware smuggler with undocumented goods containing 843 stainless steel cookware, 17 boxes of cookware and dinner sets, 26 Galaxi blenders, 690 Thermo maxx food warmers, and 126 pieces of Alyamamah sofa covers.
Before picking up the goods, the smuggler tasked the URA officers to show him a search certificate. With much required swiftness, the team set-off to the different concerned offices, secured the search certificate and came back to serach for the goods. The apartment in Amagoro B was kept under security watch the whole time so that the smuggler doesn’t sneak out the goods to a waiting truck that was parked waiting nearby.
Shortly after leaving the cookware smuggler, the team received intelligence about another smuggling attempt involving suspected smuggled Dunia Ngano from Kenya that had been delivered to St Francis of Asses secondary school in IYOLWA Village. On the evening of 01st October, the team searched the school premises and recovered 45 cartons of Dunia wheat flour weighing 1,080kgs that were hidden in the school’s bakery store.
In another operation in Namayingo, a cement truck Reg: UBH540S was intercepted while coming from the Muwayo town loaded with 1,175kgs of smuggled rice. The rice was packaged in 25kg bags comprised of 24 Bags of Baraf rice, 13 Bags of Indu rice, and 10 Bags of Karama rice.
Across the country in the Acholi sub region, URA has to constantly engage with traders who always seek the numerous porous points and routes at the border with South Sudan which many of the young men take advantage of to ferry in smuggled items from South Sudan into Gulu City and the main towns in the region. Key among these items are rice, cigarettes, tooth paste, cooking oil, fuel, powdered milk, sweets among others.
On 30th September 2024, the enforcement team combed rural areas of Anaka in Nwoya district where they intercepted a house on their intelligence radar that was storing sneaking in smuggled goods as they awaited transportation to the intended markets.
With support from the local leaders, a thorough search revealed 380 litres of PMS fuel, 60 litres of cooking oil, and 475kgs of Pakistani rice.
Meanwhile in Mbale, a Probox registration number UBP 209G was wound up in a focused operation as it attempted to smuggle in 55 cartons of Pembe wheat weighing 1,320kgs. In the same city, 68 cartons of Dunia wheat, weighing 1,632kgs were recovered together with 770 kgs of smuggled bar soap packed in 77 cartons.
In accordance with Sections 200 and 203 of the EACMMA, an importer found to be in the act of concealing goods faces up to five years in prison or a fine equal to half of the dutiable worth of the items in question.
Offence management is underway as URA remains committed to the duty of protecting the society from the adverse effects of the contraband goods while protection legitimate traders and manufacturers from market distortions created by supplies of these smuggled contrabands.
While traders develop new comic antics in dodging taxes and smuggling, URA has also heightened intelligence to counter the vice. Traders are urged to comply with procedures that have been created to facilitate trade. If the enforcement officers don’t catch you, the over 27 Non-Intrusive scanners technology will intercept that smuggling attempt.
