Sh1b Impounded Cigarettes Burnt

CONTRABAND cigarettes worth over sh1b and five bags of marijuana recently impounded by the Special Revenue Protection Services (SRPS) and Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) were last week incinerated in Jinja, reports Wilson Sempa.The 1,029 cartons of 32 various cigarette brands from the USA, Pakistan, Europe, Sudan. Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, were burnt in the Bank of Uganda Jinja currency centre incinerator.The SPRS public relations officer, Lt. Ba-Hoku Barigye, said 99% of the cigarettes were impounded in Busia, Bugiri, Mbale, Iganga and Mayuge districts in eastern Uganda.He said the biggest bulk was the Supermatch brand smuggled from Kenya in small cars that had been impounded and were to be forfeited to the Government. “The smugglers used mostly small cars to ferry the cigarettes and 14 of them have already been advertised for sale while the remaining 21 are yet to be handed over to Uganda Revenue Authority,” Barigye said.“We are determined to crack down on these elements and deter them from this process of smuggling which has dwarfed the development of the economy,” he said.The burning was overseen by Dr. Michael Kansiime of URA and Maj. Mbonye of SRPS. Ends