The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement team in Malaba has raided a consolidation centre in Nabiganda, sub-county Butaleja district, and recovered 180 bags of smuggled Sana rice and 50 bags of Mara rice.

This was confirmed by the URA enforcement team on December 13, 2023.

According to the team, they busted a notorious consolidator of smuggled rice when one of the biker boys was tailed to the consolidation centre that the team had been investigating for weeks.

“They used porous points of the border, and they have mastered the art of getting something into the country in small rations. Often, they attempt to bring in a truck full of uncustomed products like rice using dozens of boda boda riders,” the team said.

According to the URA, a consolidator is a big economic saboteur, partly because they are not easy to detect but also because, if untamed, they can become a nuisance to fair traders.

The authority pledged to bring to book other smugglers, noting that they have invested in intelligent gathering as a proactive counter-smuggling mechanism.