By Ritah Kemigisa
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has impounded a truck carrying steel rolls with a tonne of smuggled rice hidden in its chassis.
This was as its enforcement officers inspected cargo using their scanners at the Malaba border point.
The URA acting Assistant Commissioner Public and Corporate Affairs Ian Rumanyika says with the scanner tip-off, Malaba Enforcement team swung into action and impounded the suspected truck.
Riumanyika says the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) equipment has enabled customs to effectively and efficiently inspect over 1,400 consignments daily.
According to Rumanyika, the equipment detects concealed, undeclared, and miss-declared goods with an ability to penetrate 300mm of steel and detect 3mm of a suspended wire.
He adds that the practice of smuggling rice and wheat in truck chassis has grown into a habit for truck drivers but warns that scanners will expose all would-be offenders.
