The Federal Operation Unit Zone ‘B’, of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized three trucks loaded with contraband foreign pasta and rice with Duty Paid Value of N74million.
The trucks which were loaded with 1,800 cartons of smuggled pasta were said to have been apprehended along Jibiya katsina axis last Monday.
Parading the the seized contraband goods at the FOU headquarters in Kaduna on Wednesday, the Area Controller of the zone, Mohammed Mustapha, vowed that the Nigeria Customs Service will not relent in its efforts to track down smugglers and bring them to book.
According to him, “the command seized three trucks including Dangote truck along zaria Kaduna road with 120 bags of 50kg per boiled rice and another Boa truck along same axis with 55 bags of 50kg of Smuggled rice.”
He said that, as soon as documentation is finalised the seized items would be transferred to the service headquarters in Abuja for necessary action.
According to him, that suspected smugglers were arrested in the course of the seizure and are in detention for proper prosecution.
He however advised smugglers to embrace other legitimate business than the illegal means
”We are going to continue with the seizure and they are going to lose ,they should embraced good business. Rice is being produce in all states of the country and Federal Government is trying to diversify and make our economy better and to avoid foreign exchange wasted on imported rice.
“While on health ground it has been establish that most of the rice brought in through the land boarders have already expired which they usually rebag them in neighbouring countries.” He said.