LAHORE: The Directorate of Intelligence and Investigations has adopted a zero tolerance policy against transportation of illegal goods, article and vehicles in and around its territories. This was stated by Additional Director Customs Intelligence and Investigation Usman Bajwa while talking to Customs Today at his office the other day.
Bajwa said that under the guidance and supervision of Director Saud Imran Ahmad, the collectorate has conducted a number of successful operations and seized huge quantity of illegally imported goods and articles worth millions of rupees.
He said that the collectoarte seized goods and articles worth Rs 790 million involving duty and taxes worth Rs 579 million during the period from July to April 2015-16. The seized goods and articles’ quantity and worth are many time high when compared with the figures of the same period last financial year.
He added that major high value items which the collectoarte’s anti-smuggling teams confiscated included vehicles like BMWs, V8 Land Cruisers, Mercedes, Mark-X cars and other goods including foreign origin cloth, tea, tyre and tubes, auto spare parts, mobil oil, electronics goods and miscellaneous items.
To a query, he informed that as a result of aggressive drive against the smuggling activities collector rate’s duty and taxes collection has also increased to a significant level.
The collectoarte is successfully working in accordance with the vision and strategy evolved by the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigations and in this regard Lahore directorate has launched coordinated and joint anti-smuggling drive in collaboration with other field formations of customs and Motorways and GT Road authorities, Bajwa highlighted.
Since the launch of the drive an extreme sense of deterrence has prevailed among the various sections of the criminals dealing in smuggled goods and articles and a huge quantity of illegally imported items and vehicles have been impounded, he said adding that the directorate is proactively working to curtail smuggling activities to the desired level.
To a question he answered that anti-smuggling drive is in full swing and in this connection and Director General Imtiaz Ahmad, Director Saud Imran are closely connected with the anti-smuggling staff and field forces.
Bajwa informed that that each and every official of the Lahore directorate is determined to give taught time to the smugglers, especially under the limits of the directorate. In order to make the area under the jurisdiction of Lahore directorate an ideal place for the legitimate businesses, secret information are being persuaded timely while roads and dumping places are being systematically checked and examined without any pressure and fear with full zeal and zest, the additional director concluded.
