The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has dismantled a network of smugglers transporting rice through porous borders in eastern Uganda and across the Jinja bridge on bodabodas for sale in Kampala.
The operations followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, officers said.
The first breakthrough came when a Toyota Wish, registration number UBF 645K, was seized with smuggled rice. Intelligence later revealed that motorcycles ferried rice across the old bridge without detection.
Informants tracked motorcycle movements, leading the team to a house used as a storage site. The latest raid uncovered more stock.
The operation continued until another vehicle, registration UAQ 235B, was intercepted with a new consignment of rice.
By the end of the operation, officers had recovered 42 bags (25kg each) of Sana/Aisha Parboiled Rice, 40 bags (40kg each) of Mahmood Basmati Rice, 5 bags (40kg each) of Qamar Basmati Rice, and 35 bags (25kg each) of Baraf Long Grain Basmati Rice.
URA said the successful operation showed the strength of intelligence-led enforcement and its commitment to protecting the economy and public from illegal imports.
