Tax agents caught a guy carrying 3516 hidden phones during a nighttime chase near Mukono on March 24, 2025. Uganda Revenue Authority workers stopped a Toyota Noah after chasing it down. The driver tried escaping on muddy side roads, but his car got stuck. He had brought the illegal phones across Lake Victoria from Kisumu, Kenya, to a small boat dock in Buikwe before loading them into his car.
URA learned about the smuggling plan from a local fisherman who gave them a heads-up. The agents set up a trap by Kampala Cement along the highway and jumped into action when they spotted the right vehicle. Their search revealed thousands of untaxed Itel and Villaon feature phones worth about 78 million Ugandan shillings in missed taxes and fines. The Toyota with license plate UBN 215T ended up at the tax office in Nakawa.
The tax agency said smuggling through lake fishing routes hurts both money collection and national safety. Last financial year, URA gathered 25.2 trillion shillings, hitting 98.3% of its goal. Yet it misses around 2.3 trillion yearly because of tax cheats and smugglers, especially with electronics, fuel, cloth items, and beauty products. Lake Victoria supports about 130,000 Ugandan fishing workers, according to food experts, but certain people use these waters to move goods illegally across borders.
The arrested driver stays locked up as officers investigate the case further. His Toyota will likely soon become government property. URA promised to keep fighting against smuggling, saying that every shilling they recover helps public services and national growth. The agency mentioned that when it comes to illegal goods moving across borders, "smuggling certainly stings."
URA learned about the smuggling plan from a local fisherman who gave them a heads-up. The agents set up a trap by Kampala Cement along the highway and jumped into action when they spotted the right vehicle. Their search revealed thousands of untaxed Itel and Villaon feature phones worth about 78 million Ugandan shillings in missed taxes and fines. The Toyota with license plate UBN 215T ended up at the tax office in Nakawa.
The tax agency said smuggling through lake fishing routes hurts both money collection and national safety. Last financial year, URA gathered 25.2 trillion shillings, hitting 98.3% of its goal. Yet it misses around 2.3 trillion yearly because of tax cheats and smugglers, especially with electronics, fuel, cloth items, and beauty products. Lake Victoria supports about 130,000 Ugandan fishing workers, according to food experts, but certain people use these waters to move goods illegally across borders.
The arrested driver stays locked up as officers investigate the case further. His Toyota will likely soon become government property. URA promised to keep fighting against smuggling, saying that every shilling they recover helps public services and national growth. The agency mentioned that when it comes to illegal goods moving across borders, "smuggling certainly stings."
