URA is set to collect over UGX 100m in taxes and penalties from a phone smuggler in Busia.

The smuggler’s consignment, consisting of 500 pieces of high-end smartphones, was intercepted over the weekend following a tip-off from a credible source.

“We received information of a truck planted with suspicious boxes in all corners,” a URA official who took part in the operation explained.

The team mounted an operation that saw a truck, Reg no: KCD813Y/ZC0994, impounded in the wee hours of Saturday morning at the Busitema checkpoint.

The drivers’ attempt to bribe the officials did not yield as the truck was seized and subjected to a comprehensive inspection.

Verification revealed 500 pieces of Samsung Galaxy A05 smartphones worth 142,274,956 in taxes and penalties.

Concealment of phones with the intention to smuggle contravenes section 202 of the East African Community Customs Management Act (EACCMA) of 2004, as amended.

The same act prescribes a penalty of 50% of the value, while failure to declare the phones to a customs officer contravenes sections 45 and 46 and the penalty is handled according to section 209.

The truck was also booked in for conveying uncustomed goods as stipulated under section 199 of the EACCMA. A penalty of 5000 USD is prescribed for cars impounded in smuggling incidents.

URA remains committed to protecting legitimate trade from unfair competition caused by cheaper, uncustomed goods. The public is encouraged to report to URA all suspicious trade practices in their areas to collectively level the trading ground in Uganda.

By Akinyi Winiefred