DCI officers in Turkana have seized 400 crates of contraband beer alleged to be imported from Uganda.
County Criminal Investigations Officer James Lelia said the counterfeit goods were nabbed in Loima along the Lokiriama route in a lorry being smuggled into the country from Uganda.
Turkana county commissioner Boniface Muthama said a security team and officials from Kenya Revenue Authority seized the lorry ferrying 400 crates of Senator beer with a Ugandan label and fake clearance from KRA.
Muthama said the suspects will be arraigned to face charges of evading tax and forgery of documents claiming to have complied with KRA terms.
“The lorry caught was ferrying beers to Kakuma. The suspects were found with fake documents showing that they had been cleared by KRA. The government was to loose Sh758,000 in taxes. Smugglers found KRA can choose to take them to court to pay the duty or confiscate the vehicles with goods,” he said.
Muthama said last week they intercepted a Probox with 20 bags of contraband sugar from Uganda being smuggled into the country.
“We have tightened security along the borders to ensure no counterfeit goods enter the country. Recently, we nabbed bhang in Todonyang being smuggled into the country from Ethiopia. We also recovered Sh200, 000 after intercepting a vehicle ferrying unaccustomed cigarettes at Nadapal, believed to have been imported from South Sudan,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori
