KAMPALA, UGANDA: The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Customs at Entebbe International Airport this week said they retrieved over 90 new and used iPhones that were abandoned on the conveyor belt by an unknown traveler last Sunday.
According to Mr Simon Esunget – the Acting manager Entebbe Customs, the yet-to-be-identified passenger arrived at Entebbe International Airport aboard Egypt Air with personal baggage, including two audio subwoofers. The baggage was then directed to the baggage X-ray scanner for Non-Intrusive Inspection.
Upon inspection, the assortment of concealed smartphones was valued at USD 60,000 (UGX 222m) with the value of the subwoofers unestablished at the time.
Esunget explained that the customs unit has now tightened its grip on smuggling practices at the Airport and that however much concealing of high-value items at various customs border posts is still common, “the X-ray scanners are playing a huge role in exposing schemes of notorious smugglers.”
URA Speaks out
The URA spokesperson, Ibrahim Bbossa when approached for a comment on the incident said URA has strengthened controls on passenger arrivals to facilitate legitimate travelers and deter any incidences of attempted concealment of uncustomed goods.
“URA has deployed non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology which has proved to be very effective in unearthing tricks used by travelers to smuggle in goods carried as personal baggage, an allowance given by the airlines,” he said.
According to Mr Bbossa, the tax body uses X-ray scanners at the different border points to safeguard revenue and enhance supply chain safety and security by effectively inspecting cargo without tampering with it.
Similar Incidents
In June last year, Entebbe Airport security intercepted suspected narcotics disguised as coffee for export at Entebbe International Airport. The suspicious cargo according to authorities was disguised as coffee samples in branded packets of African Premium Coffee for export.
In 2019, a Dutch national was arrested at Entebbe Airport with Shs7.5b heroin concealed in chocolate packets and destined for Italy, a European nation.
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