LAHORE: Collectorate of Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) has seized over Rs329 million smuggled and contraband goods and vehicles in the month July Financial Year 2020-19.
Talking with Customs Today said that more than Rs 150 million’s smuggled vehicles were seized that included BMWs, Mercedes and Toyota Land Cruisers during the month of July. “Total value of the goods seized is Rs 329 million and the seized goods and articles included food items, tiles, auto-parts and luxury vehicles,” he added.
Earlier the ASO Lahore registered growth of 87 percent under Collector Customs (Enforcement and Compliance) Basit Maqsood Abbasi who directed ASO team to operate professionally.
The Collectorate had made Rs 1051 million cases of contraband goods and smuggled vehicles in Financial Year 2018-19 while the ASO performance showed additional efforts as the collectorate registered cases worth Rs 1970 million which are 87 percent additional in FY 2019-20.
Collector Customs Basit Maqsood Abbasi has expressed his resolve to further up the ante against the smugglers who have inflicted huge losses to the national economy.
He stated that all efforts will be put to further bring down the smuggling activities in the Collectorate’s limits. He said that the growth has been shown despite the fact that COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc.
The contraband items and smuggled vehicles that the ASO team impounded included smuggled tyres, cigarettes, dry milk, welding rods, betel nuts, cloth, fire crackers, ceramics tiles, auto-parts, LEDs, almonds, pista, chocolates, petroleum products, shaving blades, locks, while vehicles included BMWs Land cruisers and Vigos.
The goods and articles were seized on the information and directions of the collector under the supervision of assistant collectors Slaman Javaid and Ali Touqer while superintendent and inspectors including Ziaur Rehman, Ashfaq Hamdani and others.
The Collectorate also impounded over Rs 20 million trucks and other vehicles which were used in transportation of smuggled items. Police and district management also collaborated with the ASO team in making the big total.
