Some of the fabrics impounded from the operation.
The URA enforcement team recently nabbed fabric smugglers as they made their way from Busia to Kampala.
The smugglers were moving in a Toyota Noah, reg. no. UBQ 794J, loaded with fabrics from a consolidation store in Busia. Unbeknownst to them, the URA team, having already received intelligence regarding their movements, lay in wait for them along the possible routes. URA revealed that the unsuspecting vehicle was sighted at Magamaga trading centre, appearing with identical marks provided by the informers.
The URA team then initiated a pursuit that stretched from Magamaga towards Jinja until the driver abandoned the vehicle at Kubili, Jinja, fleeing while the vehicle was still in motion. Upon physical verification, the vehicle was found to contain 120 rolls of polyester poplin uniform material and five bales of kitengi fabric. This operation followed another smuggling mission to a consolidation point in Iganga and recovered 100 bundles of kitenge fabric, 10 pieces of 25 yards of gomesi material, and 140 rolls of Dira material. The perpetrators were arrested and taken for further offence management.
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Commissioner General John Musinguzi Rujoki reiterated URA’s zero tolerance for corruption, saying that the tax body will continue to aggressively weed out internal and external actors who compromise revenue collection. “The authority has put in place several measures to combat corruption and illegal activity at border points. We would like to make the cost of smuggling and corruption very, very high,” the Commissioner General stated.
This follows a recent sting operation that led to the arrest of a senior URA leader for the solicitation of a $60,000 bribe earlier this week.
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