Last Saturday, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement team in Mpondwe received a tip-off from a trusted informant about a suspicious shipment of bitenge (African print fabric) being smuggled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into Uganda. The informant reported that several sacks of bitenge had been transported across a porous border point along the Lubiriha River and hidden in a banana plantation nearby.
Acting swiftly on this information, the URA team coordinated with the informant to verify the details and set out to intercept the smuggled goods. Upon arrival, they discovered 11 sacks of bitenge buried under banana fibers in an attempt to conceal them.
Richard Mutabaruka, a member of the enforcement team, revealed that the operation faced resistance from a group of young smugglers. These smugglers attempted to retrieve the bitenge and attacked the team with stones. A chase ensued as the smugglers fled into the plantation, but the team managed to secure all 11 sacks and restore calm in the area. Thanks to the swift action of the team, a significant revenue of UGX 100,320,000 was saved.
In another operation, a Toyota Harrier was intercepted in Bugembe, Jinja, carrying unaccustomed textiles. The enforcement team laid an ambush around Kakira Sugar Plantation but initially failed to catch the driver due to a flat tire on their vehicle. However, the team’s continued vigilance paid off when they caught the driver offloading bales of textiles at different residences.
