Police seize 88 bags of suspected contraband sugar

By Peter Ochieng

Police in Garissa County have recovered 88 bags of suspected contraband sugar.

The sugar, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was being transported along the Modika-Modogashe road, prompting a chase on two motor vehicles by the Border Police patrol team.

“While on mobile patrol in the dead of the night, the officers spotted two suspicious Toyota Probox vehicles at Nuno area, but on approaching for a little chat with the occupants, the drivers revved up the engines in a desperate move to escape.

They were immobilized,” the DCI said in a statement.

Upon searching the vehicles, the DCI added, 88 bags of sugar branded SAHA each containing 25kg were found.

“Both the sugar and the two vehicles Reg Nos. KDP 613D and KDN 745J have been detained awaiting verification by a multi-agency team.”

Meanwhile, DCI detectives in Kimilili, Bungoma County seized hundreds of bottles of second-generation liquor on Tuesday evening, when a motorist was ambushed in the course of distribution.

Seized were 120 bottles of counterfeited Smart Vodka (250ml), 65 bottles of County Spirits, Kibao Vodka (20 bottles) and 40 bottles of Chrome.

DCI said an inventory of the seizure was prepared and a multi-agency team has since taken over the case.

The agency has appealed to members of the public to be wary of greedy liquor vendors whose only aim is capitalizing on profits to the detriment of their customers' health, as the country prepares for the Christmas and New Year festive season.

The successful operations in Garissa and Kimilili came a day after Detectives in Nyahururu seized 22,000L of suspected Ethanol, that was being transported from Malaba border towards Nairobi, in an operation that saw two suspects who were ferrying the illicit cargo arrested.

Nyahururu sub-county head of criminal investigations led a team of detectives to intercept a KCR 473G FAW truck transporting 88 drums (250L capacity) of ethanol, which were concealed using construction blocks.