BEIRUT: Lebanon Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle illegal products into Lebanon here on Tuesday. It is being said that was to evade customs’ fee.
A crew of Lebanon ministry opening to check for any unregistered products, after receiving information about plans to smuggle goods. Illegal products found inside the boxes included electronics and surveillance cameras.
“Powder is being brought in and then turned into medicine for children, which is illegal and unhealthy,” Finance Ministry Ali Hasan Khalil told reporters after he arrived at the airport’s storage rooms.
He revealed stark levels of corruption at the customs department, explaining that many traders have been manipulating data and numbers or lying about the content of imported packages in order to evade customs fees.
“It is no longer a secret that waste and customs fees evasion is happening on a large scale,” Khalil said. “We are working on controlling it, but this needs a lot of follow up.”
Khalil declined to give the names of the people accused of smuggling and tax evasion, saying the investigation first needed to be completed.
