news 22 June 2026 Nile Post
Entebbe Airport Raids Uncover Major Mobile Phone Smuggling Ring
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officers at Entebbe International Airport have seized 448 mobile phones worth over Shs281 million, disrupting a sophisticated smuggling operation that involved insider collusion and attempts to exploit VIP services. Source: https://nilepost.co.ug/news/350489/entebbe-airport-smuggling-ring-busted-as-ura-intercepts-448-mobile-phones
Customs officials at Entebbe International Airport have successfully dismantled a significant mobile phone smuggling ring, impounding a total of 448 devices valued at more than Shs281 million. The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) described the seizures as part of ongoing efforts to combat illicit trade.
According to URA Assistant Commissioner Robert Kalumba, the intercepted phones point to an increasing trend of smugglers attempting to bypass tax regulations by bringing high-value electronics into the country illegally.
In one audacious attempt, smugglers are reported to have enlisted the help of airport terminal cleaners to sneak the devices past security checkpoints. Kalumba detailed how a cleaner was apprehended after being noticed with an unusual gait, leading officers to discover 40 smartphones concealed on her person.
Other smugglers reportedly tried to leverage the airport’s VIP facilities and lounges to conceal their illegal goods and evade detection. URA officers, acting on intelligence, intercepted a traveler posing as a VIP passenger and found 60 high-end smartphones hidden within their luxury luggage.
URA Commissioner General John Musinguzi has used these incidents to encourage lawful tax practices, highlighting a new tax waiver program. This initiative offers a full waiver on interest and penalties for outstanding domestic taxes due by June 30, 2024, if settled by June 30, 2026.
Musinguzi urged taxpayers to embrace compliance, emphasizing the program as an opportunity to regularize their tax status while contributing to national revenue.