Shs6b ivory impounded by URA in warehouse

Kampala
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) enforcement officials on Thursday raided a customs warehouse in Kazinga, Wakiso District and seized contraband of ivory destined for China worth Shs6.2 billion.

The undeclared merchandise, according to officials, comprised of 832 pieces of the elephant tusks, both fresh and old in outlook, belonging to a one Owino Odhiambo, reportedly a businessman in Kenya. The ivory had been packed in groups of four and five, and fitted in over 150 sacks containing shredded plastic materials in transit to Mombasa port for “recycling” and export.

The bust

According to Mr Julius Nkwasire, the manager enforcements operations at URA, the contraband was identified on Wednesday after the driver of the transit track started providing contradicting information about “what he was transporting.” “At first he said it was fish, then coffee, and later cotton bags which aroused our suspicion,” Mr Nkwasire said.

The owner of the contraband had hired a container truck from the company operating the warehouse - Mediterranean Shipping - to transport the merchandise from a yet to identified location in Luzira, a Kampala suburb, to Mombasa.

Mr Nkwasire added that, the driver also hired specifically by the owner to deliver the merchandise, wanted to change the movement course from road transport to railway, “for reasons he has not yet told us.”
By Press time, the driver had been arrested and detained by Police, but his identity had not yet been disclosed.

“When someone hires our trucks, most times it is to deliver goods to the final destination,” an official at the warehouse who requested anonymity said.

The official added that, we insisted that the driver brings back our truck and hires another to deliver his goods to the railway office which he objected to causing us to call in police, and eventually the URA officials who detected the contraband.

The cradle of the tusks is contentious, but several officers at the warehouse this newspaper talked to, gave different accounts and hinting on possibility of kickbacks to have been taken by some individuals to allow the goods go through; claims we could not independently verify. The managers of the warehouse were still consulting further authorities in order to speak to the press.