In an exclusive interview with Iran Press on Sunday, Iranian Parliamentarian, Mohammad Damaadi, representing Sari and Miandoroud in Mazandaran province in northern Iran, said there is enough legislation already to deal with smuggling, contraband, and hoarding of goods and merchandise. He added: "The problem of contraband, is due to lax enforcement of legislation and open borders, the fact that some individuals and businessmen choose to break the law, and the fact that some officials are corrupt, and turn a blind eye to illegal import of goods into the country."
Mentioning cigarettes as one example, the Iranian MP said: "We have a domestic tobacco industry, and cigarettes are produced in Iran, but if you go to your local newsagent or grocery shop, you will find illegally-imported foreign-manufactured packets of cigarettes. Who imports these into the country, they are a form of contraband, and yet you can buy them all over the country." Damaadi went on to mention contraband clothes as another example.
The Iranian MP, a member of the infrastructure modernization commission of the parliament (Majlis ), emphasized that existing legislation to combat contraband is tough enough, up-to-date and robust, but there are illegal ports, and illegal points of entry, for goods and merchandise to enter the country.
The Iranian Parliamentarian, Damaadi added: "Whatever legislation is passed, if it is not enforced properly, then it will only be of limited value. It wouldn't be effective".
He stressed: "We have left our borders open. We have failed to control the great assortment of goods and merchandise entering the country through the open border. The government, customs officers, and security forces must take a tougher line, a stricter enforcement of existing legislation is needed, to stop illegal imports of merchandise into the country without payment of duty".
