Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) reported that it’s enforcement teams at the Mutukula border intercepted three different consignments worth millions seized from smugglers in quick succession this September.
According to a statement from URA, the first consignment was seized on the night of September 8, 2023 when the team retrieved 15 bales (containing 104 pieces of hooded jumpers per bale smuggled from Tanzania) from a hidden consolidation store in Kakuto before he could arrange bigger means of transport for his loot to Kampala.
Three days later, URA enforcement intelligence antenna caught wind of a Toyota Premio Registered No: UAR890F that was carrying smuggled Sugar through a porous border point between Uganda and Tanzania. A chase ensued and eventually, the Premio was cornered in an area called Akattiro and later transferred to URA offices. Verification recovered one tone of 40 bags of 25kgs of Kagera Sugar originating from Tanzania.
A few days later, the team again intercepted a Fuso Reg. No. UAY 549U with goods ordered from a warehouse in Dar-es-Salaam with Kyakatuma as the planned transport route. A chase in the dark of the night forced the smuggler to abandon the truck within Kibale in Rakai.
According to URA spokesperson Ibrahim Bossa, the loot recovered contained the items below:-
*10 cartons of carambola herbal soap from USA.
*150 cartons of Nevia roll on from Germany
*98 rolls of 25 yards of one side printed polyester material from china
960 pieces of access full charger kit model
*10 boxes of 100 pieces of I-access data cables
*6 boxes of 100 pieces of I-access ear phones
*06 packs x 50 pieces of I-access ceramic screen protector
1440 packs of 16 capsules 500mg of Flucamox (amocycillin &fluciomacillin) from Egypt
*540 packs of 3 400mg capsules of Gynozol from Egypt
*18 boxes with 24 packs of 20 sachets of 20gms of café troika from Malaysia
58 boxes with 120 dozens of 90gms of dettal soap from UAE
*260 pieces of cotton round neck long sleeved tshirts from China
*30 pieces of polyester ladies maxi suhendra with scarf from Indonesia
*6 pieces of ladies high heels and 6 pieces of ladies’ sandal shoes all from China
*44 pieces of 100mls of assorted perfumes from UAE.
“URA continues to engage taxpayers and the business community to educate them about the right processes and procedures to follow while doing business in Uganda. However, where a taxpayer has intentions of breaking the law, enforcement comes into play, which explains the growth in interceptions” Ibrahim Bbossa noted.
In the fiscal year 2022/23, customs enforcement operations across the country, recovered a total of UGX 132.77 billion through 14,187 seizures.
URA urges clients to remain vigilant and comply with procedures that have been created to facilitated trade.