Simple to the target measures and honesty of the purpose resulted in making the difference
LAHORE: Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of Customs Collectorate of Preventive has performed exceptionally by impounding non-duty paid vehicles, goods and articles worth Rs 616 million during the first six months of financial year 2017-18 against Rs 154 million during the same period of the last financial year 2016-17.
Talking to Customs Today, Collector of Customs Preventive said that the ASO has been reorganized by posting officers of good professional reputation.
The Customs Collectorate ASO, under the supervision of Collector Customs Faiz Ahmed, raided gowdown and intercepted 47 illegally imported vehicles worth Rs 81 million and impounded contraband goods worth Rs 535 million, including mobile phones, cloth, cigarettes, Gutka, liquor, electronic item and other miscellaneous goods.
The Collectorate registered a solid growth of 314 percent in term of value of goods and vehicles while 23 percent growth in terms of cases during the six month of financial year 2017-18 against the same period last financial year.
He said that the ASO officials have been instructed to adopt zero tolerance against the illegally imported vehicles and items inflicting heavy losses to the national exchequer.
He said that vigilance far and wide across the adjacent areas have been improved with simple and to the target measures.
“The very steps and honesty of the purpose have resulted in making such the huge difference and whole of ASO team also deserves appreciation and gratitude that chased the smugglers to their dens creating exemplary deterrence against the all type of smuggling,” the collector said adding that the we have enhanced surveillance of a number of godown which are reported to be dumped with the illegally imported items.
The collector said that the cases and FIRs are lodged in accordance with the provisions of the Customs laws allowing the parties fair time period and chance to produce documents against the detained items and vehicles.
Quoting the example of the recent mega seizure of the over Rs300 million Q-Mobile, the collector said that the Collectorate lodged FIR after 20 days allowing the party in question reasonable time to produce legal import documents if they have any.
The Customs Collectorate’s ASO impounded 11 illegally imported cars worth Rs10 million and seized over Rs53 million goods and articles during the month of July while 13 vehicles Rs21 million and goods and articles worth Rs62 million confiscated in 23 cases during the month of July 2017-18.
In the same way the Collectoarte ASO team impounded 8 NDP cars worth Rs10 million and Rs43 million’s contraband items were seized during the month of September. During the month of October the Collectorate’s ASO team registered 37 cases worth Rs 55 million against the seized vehicles and articles.
However, the ASO team was able to confiscate made mega Rs309 million cases during the month of November. In the same month the ASO team seized over 40000 smart mobile sets of Q-Mobiles. The collectoarte till the December 28 was able to 16 cases worth Rs 51 million while it was reported that the ASO had in the pipeline mega seizures till the end of the month of December 2017.
