URA Cracks Down on Phone Smugglers in Eastern Uganda
Two individuals will face substantial fines and penalties for attempting to smuggle phones into Uganda. The smugglers were intercepted in separate operations in Eastern Uganda earlier this month.
On August 7, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement team in Busitema received a tip-off about a Rwandan truck, registration number RAF 196R/RL3483, suspected of carrying smuggled phones. The driver, confident in his ability to evade detection, planned to pass through one of URA’s tactical checkpoints.
Armed with this information, the team prepared for the truck’s arrival at the checkpoint. As the truck approached and queued for inspection, the team directed it to a parking area for a thorough search. The inspection revealed seven packages hidden under the driver’s bed in the cabin. These packages contained over 2000 smartphones.
In a separate incident in Busia, URA discovered phones and accessories hidden in a truck carrying wheat. The truck, registration number UBB538E/UBG955, was scanned, and the image of the reserve tank area raised suspicion. Further examination uncovered a hidden compartment between the truck head and the trailer, containing a variety of phones and accessories.
From this compartment, the team recovered over 1000 button phones, 254 smartphones, and 2000 phone chargers and batteries. The driver was handed over to intelligence for further investigation, and the necessary taxes and penalties were collected.
