By Irene Kabakama
At first glance, one would think a farmer is transporting their harvest to the market. A truck filled with cabbages, a bountiful harvest!
These were the scenes when customs officials in Sironko district encountered an Isuzu truck transporting contraband textiles concealed in cabbages.
This interception followed weeks of intelligence gathering by the Mbale Enforcement and Border Controls Team.
According to the officials, information trickled in on the afternoon of April 28, 2025, that a notorious smuggler was planning to transport textiles from Kenya through porous border towns.
Recognising the urgency of the situation, the team formulated an intricate strategy to thwart this illegal activity and deployed surveillance to monitor the area.
These efforts paid off the next day as an Isuzu medium chassis registration number UBN 233K was intercepted in Nalugugu, Sironko District. Physical verification revealed 2,318.15 square meters of polyester curtain netting material and 2,834.746 square meters of polyester curtain material.
As prescribed in section 199 of the East African Community Customs Act of 2004, as amended, the owner of the truck faces a fine of up to USD 5,000.
