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The ongoing exercise to halt the smuggling of ferrous metal scraps through the Tema Port, directed by the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Wallace Akondoh, has gained momentum with the detention of 43 containers so far. As a result, the state revenue collecting agency is expected to boost its kitty with GH�731,000, being yield expected from the sale after 30 days. The Assistant Commissioner of Customs in-charge of the Tema Collection Point, Mr. Osman Awudu, disclosed this to the media last Friday, when he led other state bodies such as the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and National Security to open the containers at the quay of MPS, where they were stacked. Mr. Awudu revealed that Customs was going to chase the owners, deal with them, and possibly, put them before the courts. According to him, Customs and other agencies were ready, and promised a showdown with persons attempting to outwit them. The Assistant Commissioner, who had just taken over, said the containers are to be moved from the MPS yard to the State Warehouse, where adequate security is assured. As part of the investigations, a Customs Chemist, Assistant Revenue Officer Mr. Prince K. Wiafe, used a metal detector in the form of a magnet to test the loaded metal scraps, and found all to be ferrous. The Chronicle investigations revealed that the containers were labeled as cullets, instead of ferrous metal. Even though the forwarding agents went for declaration forms from Customs, they did not return them. Again, against Customs� practices, the containers had entered the port and about to be shipped without declaration. As expected the Portuguese flag vessel MV JOGELA, which was to load the containers, arrived at the MPS berth in the Tema Port last Friday, but the consignment of detained containers of ferrous metal scraps could not be loaded. The Chief Collector of Customs In-charge of Preventive at the Tema Port, Mr. Kwesi Ahiakpoh, who is the Ground Operations Officer in this exercise, told the media that his outfit had put measures in place to arrest the smugglers. The last time Customs made such a move was about three years ago, when the Division impounded 33 containers of ferrous metal scraps at the Tema Heavy Industrial Area, belonging to Everest and Goldline respectively, and were kept in the yards of the culprits and fortified with Customs security seals. Later, when it was due for auction to the steel companies, the containers were found empty, even though the security seals were intact.