Police Chief named in Juba smuggling racket
By George Murumba
1st Aug 2011:
IGP Kayihura: Is he aware of police smugglers?
Following the damning report in the media last week alleging that anti-narcotics officers at Entebbe International Airport may be engaging in the murky business of re-selling illegal narcotic drugs they seize from the airport, fresh information has emerged that suggests that a very senior police chief may be involved in a multi-million smuggling racket between Uganda and Juba – South Sudan.
The rogue police chief, whom we shall not name because of the sensitivity and seriousness of the allegations is said to be a top cadre of President Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement [NRM]. He is accused of being the “chief security coordinator” for the smuggling racket along the Kampala – Gulu – Atiak – Juba highway.
His alleged role, Uganda Correspondent understands, is either to provide his ultra loyal police officers to escort the smuggled goods or simply use his powers to ensure that there are no tough security checks at the exact moment when the smugglers are expected to pass through the designated check points along the Juba highway.
The third allegation, which is even more disturbing, is that this rogue police chief sometimes uses official government vehicles to carry the racket’s frontline smugglers and their illicit goods and thereby ensuring that both Revenue and Customs officials simply wave the smuggling trucks through the checkpoints.
The allegations were made by an extremely reliable source who says he personally met and spoke to a well known smuggler of Supermatch cigarettes into Uganda who then unwittingly implicated the rogue police chief [“his partner in crime”] in the Juba smuggling racket.
The known smuggler, an accidental whistleblower who operates his illicit cigarette trade through Busia and Malaba crossing points along the Uganda – Kenya boarder, did not however, during the hour long conversation, identify the type of goods smuggled into South Sudan with the rogue police chief’s alleged help.
The whistleblower smuggler also revealed that before they finally buried the hatchet in the interest of business and “started working together”, the same police officer, who he says was attached to the anti-smuggling unit at time, used to be one of his greatest pursuers along both Busia and Malaba boarder points.
Our request to the police for a comment on the matter was yet to be answered by the time we went to press. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
