By Spy Uganda
The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has stepped up its fight against illicit trade, intercepting multiple consignments of contraband cigarettes and rice in a series of intelligence-led operations across the country.
In the latest incident, a 53-year-old truck driver, Nyakojo Ezra, was arrested on Wednesday along the Pakwach–Panyimur road after enforcement officers discovered 200 cartons of Supermatch cigarettes concealed in a secret compartment of his truck (UAQ 461T).
According to Customs officer Luke Kivumbi, an informer tipped off URA that the cigarettes were hidden beneath the truck’s floor. “Our informer insisted that the cigarettes were there at the bottom of the truck, and further inspection revealed a hidden compartment,” Kivumbi said. Nyakojo later confessed to operating the concealed chamber, which had been disguised to evade detection.
URA’s Assistant Commissioner for Public and Corporate Affairs, Robert Kalumba, lauded the officers’ swift action, warning that the Authority will not tolerate illicit trade. “Ezra will face the law and answer for his crimes,” Kalumba said, noting that the truck is also subject to a USD 5,000 fine under the East African Community Customs Management Act.
Nyakojo is currently detained at URA headquarters awaiting prosecution.
The anti-smuggling drive has not been limited to cigarettes. In eastern Uganda, URA enforcement dismantled a rice smuggling network that exploited porous borders and boda boda riders to ferry rice across the Jinja bridge for sale in Kampala.
Following weeks of surveillance, a Toyota Wish (UBF 645K) and another vehicle (UAQ 235B) were intercepted, while a storage facility linked to the network was raided. By the close of the operation, URA had seized over 120 bags of smuggled rice, including Sana/Aisha Parboiled, Mahmood Basmati, Qamar Basmati, and Baraf Long Grain brands.
Kalumba said the operation reflected URA’s “intelligence-led enforcement and unwavering commitment to protecting Uganda’s economy from unfair competition and unregulated imports.”
Meanwhile, in Butiaba, Buliisa district, enforcement officers intercepted a box-body truck (UAH 552F) ferrying 2,000 bombas of Oris Slims Double Apple-flavored cigarettes from South Sudan.
The vehicle had initially evaded capture during an overnight ambush but was later tracked through Bugungu Murchison Falls Gate by an undercover boda boda rider working with URA intelligence. When enforcement teams cornered it along the Buliisa–Hoima Road, an inspection revealed a concealed compartment filled with undeclared tobacco products.
The driver fled the scene during the operation, and efforts to trace him are ongoing.
Kalumba acknowledged that smuggling networks are becoming more sophisticated but stressed that URA is equally advancing its tools. “We are relying on intelligence, technology, and strict border control to apprehend culprits,” he said.
The recent interceptions highlight the growing challenge of illicit trade in Uganda, with URA promising to sustain countrywide operations to protect legitimate businesses, boost revenue, and safeguard consumers from unregulated products.
