The South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) has impounded 17 commercial trucks carrying smuggled goods in Nimule town and Nesitu check point.
The chairperson of the bureau, Dr. Kuorwel Kuai Kuorwel said the trucks loaded with assorted goods such as biscuits, beer, sugar, cooking oil, honey, dates, coconut milk, among others were imported by four Juba-based suppliers from Brazil, India, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Vietnam.
“An investigation by the SSNBS inspectors revealed that, out of seventeen (17) trucks, five (5) trucks loaded with sugar were smuggled through Nimule border to Juba without inspections and laboratory analysis as required. It was later found that these trucks were issued a fake Certificate of Conformity (COC) in order to avoid inspection,” Dr. Kuai said.
Kuai revealed the trucks were seized during a routine procedure which ensures that all goods entering the country are inspected at the border points before being transported into the country.
“One (1) truck loaded with biscuits did not go through inspection processes and was successfully smuggled into Juba. The other eleven (11) trucks had goods that were purchased and loaded without inspection and were issued a COC without safety and quality standards check,” he explained.
Thorough investigation has been launched into 17 trucks of assorted goods where the inspectors shall also conduct full inspection and collect samples for laboratory testing.
“In this process, products that are not accompanied by mandatory COC shall pay a penalty fee that is equivalent to 20% of Costs, Insurance and Freight (CIF) values of the goods assessed,” Kuai stated.
According to the bureau of standard, the goods will remain at the stores until all the testing and inspections processes are completed before being released to the markets.
“We therefore want to warn commercial suppliers that illegal importation of goods into the country does not only violate product safety compliance but constitute an illicit trade that is punishable by the law,” he warned.
Speaking in the same briefing, the national minister of Trade and Industry, William Anyuon Kuol vows to prosecute those smuggling goods into the country including South Sudanese found practicing and giving aid to smugglers.
“I would like to assure the public that we will take all what it cost to make sure we bring these people to law. [No matter] how tough they will become, we will also be tougher because we need to make sure that substandard and expired goods don’t come to the market,” Anyuon said.
“We even have medicine that come to the country without proper procedures and here, there are a lot of complains. Our people are sick. Sometimes, people are wondering why people suffering from cancer, ulcers and a lot of things. These problems come as a result of substandard goods that smuggle into the country.”
The minister said there are South Sudanese who are part of this illegal business citing that foreigners cannot smuggled goods all the way from the border up to the city if they are not helped by the nationals.
“There is no way goods can be smuggled in all the way from the border at Nimule up to here…apart from business community that comes from outside, we also have South Sudanese who are doing dirty business. They don’t have ethics, they [only] think of money, but not the safety of our people,” said Anyuon.
