LAHORE: The Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) has posted a growth of 34 percent by impounding non-customs paid goods and vehicles worth Rs850 million during the first half of the financial year 2018-19 against Rs633 million in the same period last financial year.
According to official data, the ASO registered 15 cases worth Rs20 millions of luxury vehicles and 20 cases of goods and articles worth Rs 358 million in July while the ASO seized 3 NDP vehicles worth Rs3.5 million and registered 32 cases of NDP goods and articles worth Rs 62 million.
Similarly, the ASO confiscated vehicles, goods worth Rs68 million by registering 18 cases in the month of September while the organization registered 30 cases of NDP vehicles and goods worth Rs117 million during the month of October.
The ASO, however, seized no vehicle in the month of November while registered 34 cases of goods and articles worth Rs 98 million.
Similarly, the Customs ASO registered 31 cases of NDP vehicles, goods worth Rs119 in the month of December 2018. The organization in total seized 35 NCP vehicles worth Rs 53 million and registered 183 cases of NDP goods and articles worth Rs 775 million.
The ASO intensified the crackdown against the smuggled items and vehicles on the direction of Additional Collector Tayyeba Kayani.
Special scouts including Inspector Nasir Saeed, Abdul Rehman Butt, Shahid Bhatti and others were constituted under the supervision of Deputy Collector Muhammad Moazzam Raza and Superintendent Agha Qadeer Khan to evaluate the performance.
Agha Qadeer Khan said that the ASO is determined to create maximum deterrence against smugglers with these crackdowns and make a big total of seizures of NDP vehicles and items.
Sources said that Chief Collector of Customs Zeba Hai Azhar had instructed all the four collectorates of the central region to bring down the level of smuggling activities in the region. At the start of the financial year, she had issued strict instructions directing the officers to adopt zero tolerance against the smuggling activities.
Sources said that the ASO is all set to make a big difference by creating deterrence against the smugglers for the next six months of the financial year.
