Three senior police officers including Msambweni police boss Benjamin
Rotich
have been interdicted pending an investigation over Shimoni sugar smuggling cartel.
Others are LungaLunga DCIO and Head of Marine at Shimoni in Kwale County, according to source in the coast regional office.
The officers have been accused of working with cartels to smuggle sugar in the country.
Matuga OCPD Patrick Oduma took over in an acting capacity from Rotich on Wednesday.
When journalists visited the police station, Oduma was seated on the OCPDs’ chair while Rotich was signing some documents.
“The interdiction letters were sent from the regional office and most probably after national office gave direction,” the source said.
It is alleged the officers were in frequent contact with individuals in the smuggling cartel indicating that there may have been collusion.
Earlier there were reports that the number of police officers was ten, a report dismissed by Kwale county police coordinator James Akoru.
Akoru said that they managed to nab two suspects and seize two Lories at night of November 13, 2016 in collaboration with KDF officials at Shimoni.
“Police got information from members of public and laid ambush to arrest suspect and Lories carrying the illegal sugar in different locations,” he said in his office.
He said that the first Lorry carrying 247 bags of
sugar was seized by KDF at Shimoni together with two suspects while
Police in Msambweni seized another Lorry with 250 bags of illegal sugar
abandoned at Ibiza
in Diani.
“The driver after realising police were following him abandoned the lorry and escaped,” he said.
He said that multi agency team is still investigating the issue to arrest those behind the cartel of sugar smuggling.
“The people arrested will give information of who sent them to transport the sugar,” he said.
Msambweni acting police boss Patrick Oduma did not want to comment about the issue.
Kwale county commsioner Kutswa Olaka could not be reached for comment over the matter as his phone went unanswered.
Kwale county assistant county commissioner Mwangi Kahero said he had not been briefed about the issue adding that “let me find out and get back to you”.
The incident occurred a year after an NSIS officer Erastus Mwakisha was shot in the stomach by Navy official in Shimoni after he allegedly traced sugar smuggling cartels in the area.
Police have never arrested anyone or charged the navy officer over the killing as Shimoni remained a big route for smuggling illegal goods.