The Mbale, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement team has closed off several consolidation centers in the areas of Pallisa, Butebo for possession of smuggled items.
According to Godson Mwesigye, the URA Manager of Enforcement Operations in Mbale, they recovered 50 cartons of wheat flour and 30 bags of rice from Kenya.
Mwesigye said that after the discovery, the team moved to Mbale and Bukwo, where they recovered 23 tyres of the Ling Long brand from China from a mini store along North Road.
During the same operation, Onesmus Amwiine, who is also an enforcement officer in Mbale, intercepted an Isuzu truck with registration number UBJ 379P that was impounded with smuggled goods in Bukwo.
Amwiine said that the driver and his turn-boy took off with the keys to frustrate the taxman, and the vehicle was towed away to the URA offices.
“On verification, 185 cartons of golden wheat from Kenya, 54 cartons of Dunia wheat flour, and 30 bags of Mara rice made in Kenya were discovered,” Amwiine said.
It was on this note that Mwesigye warned truck owners to stop engaging in smuggling.
“If you have a truck, be sure of the driver you are recruiting, guide them on what to do, and keep monitoring your truck. Otherwise, if we get smuggled goods in it [truck], you will forfeit to the government,” Mwesigye warned.
Mwesigye added that those continuously engaged in illicit trade will be penalised to ease facilitation for compliant taxpayers.
The enforcement operations will continue in order to ensure that Customs collects its due revenue this financial year.
