Tamale, April 26, GNA- The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), in the Northern Region has collected 18 billion cedis as revenue between January and March, this year. The organization has targeted 40 billion cedis for this year. Last year the organization exceeded its target of 28 billion cedis by 15 percent.

Mr. Sam Asare-Aikins, Northern Regional Commander of CEPS announced this at a meeting with the media in Tamale on Saturday. The meeting briefed the media the opportunity to make suggestions to help enhance the performance of CEPS in the region.

He said the region was vast and remote and found it difficult to monitor smugglers due to inadequate staffing constraints. He urged the media to help educate the people on the negative effect of smuggling on the economy.

The Regional Commander advised opinion leaders in the region to refrain from condoning with smugglers when they are arrested. He said such practices were impeding the operation of the organization.

On revenue mobilisation, he said, the state of emergency was a constraint, adding: "While we observe the state of emergency the importers have a way of outwitting us."

Mr. Asare-Aikins mentioned motorbikes and textiles smuggling from Togo, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire into the region as being rampant and called on the public to cooperate with CEPS to address the situation.