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By HELEN TARAWA
ABOUT K7.3 million worth of illegal cigarettes have been discovered by the PNG Customs Service at its container examination facility at Motukea outside Port Moresby.
Chief Commissioner Ray Paul said it was the latest case of contraband goods brought into the country mostly by foreigners, although some locals were involved as partners.
The owners of the two containers at Motukea had disappeared although they are known to Customs officers.
Paul said the new facility was assisting Customs officers greatly in identifying the illegal items in containers coming through the borders.
“It’s an ongoing challenge that we have been having in the last two to three years of identifying contraband goods coming through the borders,” he said.
“This tool that we have brought to assist us with our work has reduced the number of inspections significantly.”
Paul said the State would have lost that much money (K7.3 million) if the cargo had gone through undetected, as had happened in the past before the container examination facility was installed.
Last month, Customs identified through the container x-ray equipment a cigarette brand.
The owner of the container had declared the cargo consisted of solar lights, slippers, T-shirts, playing cards and torches.
Paul said the two containers were held in Port Moresby.
Two similar ones were identified in Lae and held at the port there.
“The containers belong to foreigners but some of them are joint ventures with our locals,” Paul said.
“So our people are very much involved in this business too.
“This is the ongoing challenge we continue to face with people not declaring (imported goods) correctly.”
Paul urged Papua New Guineans to do the right thing and protect the country.