Stop illicit trade
Cameroon's border checkpoints remain on the alert in order to protect its national economic space from fraud and contraband. Information from the Directorate General of Customs shows that large consignments of goods have been seized at the various points of entry into the national territory. Fraudulent consignments intercepted at various border posts show the seriousness of the scourge that is detrimental to the national economic fabric.
August was particularly eventful with multiple seizures recorded by the Cameroon Customs. A consignment of frozen chicken was seized in the south region while a truckload of cocoa fell in the drag net of the customs in the south west region. Field Checks by customs led to the seizure of a huge consignment of pharmaceuticals in the east region. The teams of operation Halcomi III (stop illicit trade) also had a hard time seizing a van carrying cartons of cosmetic products imported without customs declaration. in the south region, elements of the Halcomi III mission seized cartons of whiskey and table wines, pallets of beer, cans and cartons of vegetable oils, cartons of shower gels and cartons of milk.
Contraband vehicles and heavy equipment equally fell into the net of customs in the Adamawa region. Also, cartons of cell phones transported aboard a starlet and some hard drugs were seized in Garoua. In the centre region, kilograms of packaged Indian hemp were seized from traffickers.
Customs teams equally seized illicit goods in the form of basic necessities namely sardines, rice, bottles of wine, vegetable oils and liquors in public transport buses. According to the directorate general of customs, traffickers use all means at their disposal. Traffickers pass through swamps and farms in order to avoid customs checkpoints and surveillance.
(Source: excerpt from Cameroon Business Today no.170 26 August to 1st September 2020)