URA seizes smuggled cigarettes in Arua
Nov 23, 2006
THE Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) on Monday made one of its record arrests in West Nile when it seized a truck with 400 cartons of Kenya-made contraband Supermatch cigarettes valued at sh200m.
By Frank Mugabi
THE Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) on Monday made one of its record arrests in West Nile when it seized a truck with 400 cartons of Kenya-made contraband Supermatch cigarettes valued at sh200m.
The UAG 665P truck carrying the cigarettes was intercepted at Oraba near the Sudan-Koboko border.
James Abodi, the URA regional manager, said the smugglers fled, abandoning the truck.
He said the smugglers had falsely declared the items as empty Coca-Cola bottles that they were transporting from Sudan to Arua.
The lorry had just made entry through Oraba customs point, the main gateway to the southern Sudanese towns of Yei and Juba through Kaya border township near Arua.
It was seized after the URA enforcement operatives at the post became suspicious of its movements. They tracked down the truck for further scrutiny.
The route is a popular highway for Ugandan businessmen transporting merchandise to the thriving markets in South Sudan.
Abodi said thousands of empty beverage bottles were returned through the route from Sudan daily.
“But unscrupulous transporters are using the business to conceal illegal goods mainly cigarettes and oil products in the middle of beer or soda crates,†Abodi said.
He said the most abused vehicles were body-built trucks popularly known as ‘box body’ trucks.
THE Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) on Monday made one of its record arrests in West Nile when it seized a truck with 400 cartons of Kenya-made contraband Supermatch cigarettes valued at sh200m.
The UAG 665P truck carrying the cigarettes was intercepted at Oraba near the Sudan-Koboko border.
James Abodi, the URA regional manager, said the smugglers fled, abandoning the truck.
He said the smugglers had falsely declared the items as empty Coca-Cola bottles that they were transporting from Sudan to Arua.
The lorry had just made entry through Oraba customs point, the main gateway to the southern Sudanese towns of Yei and Juba through Kaya border township near Arua.
It was seized after the URA enforcement operatives at the post became suspicious of its movements. They tracked down the truck for further scrutiny.
The route is a popular highway for Ugandan businessmen transporting merchandise to the thriving markets in South Sudan.
Abodi said thousands of empty beverage bottles were returned through the route from Sudan daily.
“But unscrupulous transporters are using the business to conceal illegal goods mainly cigarettes and oil products in the middle of beer or soda crates,†Abodi said.
He said the most abused vehicles were body-built trucks popularly known as ‘box body’ trucks.