The URA enforcement team in Hoima received intel from a reliable source about a truck carrying uncustomed supermatch cigarettes, prompting a swift and decisive response.

One Tuesday at 8:00 hours, the team scheduled a transshipment operation to avoid detection and waited for confirmation from an informant of truck Reg No. UAV 715C which had crossed to the Albertine region using the Panyamur-Wanseko side. The truck was conveying uncustomed supermatch cigarettes which were loaded from Nebbi and was destined to Kampala through Hoima city.

“At 11:00 hours, our informant confirmed the truck ‘s location and we intercepted it at parajwok roundabout. The co-driver initially claimed they were transporting only charcoal, but a discrepancy in the truck ‘s length raised suspicions,” John Lubakwidha, a customs officer in Hoima narrated.

Upon further inspection, a hidden compartment was discovered and upon opening it, 80 sacks were found containing 2,000,000 sticks of supermatch cigarettes made in Uganda for export to CAR only.

One suspect was apprehended while the other fled the scene. The contraband and suspect are now in the custody of customs revenue intelligence. Our swift action demonstrates our commitment to combating smuggling and protecting revenue.

The seized cigarettes have been handed over to Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO) to transfer them to the customs revenue intelligence for further management.

By our Hoima Correspondent