DCI boss George Kinoti has said East African countries should be ruthless to cartels who are at the centre of crime.
“We need to be ruthless against these cartels... we are going to stop it,” he said.
Kinoti spoke on Tuesday during the opening of a two-day meeting that brings together prosecutors from East African countries.
He said the only mechanism to deal with cartels is for the East African region to come together because the crime units are well organised.
The DCI boss said contraband goods, terrorism and robbery are the major crimes facing several countries.
He said contraband goods find their way easily to other countries, with expired goods being smuggled and repackaged before being released to the market.
Kinoti issued a warning to individuals who steal money in their country and go to invest in other countries.
“You will never steal from another country and live to enjoy the sweat of others when you are in another country. We are going to smoke you out as criminal,” he said.
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji said transnational organised crime requires countries to foster and strengthen regional and international cooperation in order to combat them.
Haji said national, regional and intentional strategies should be supported in order to combat transnational crimes.
The forum is being hosted by the Office of the Director of Criminal Investigations which to enhance collaboration among member countries in order to handle complex cases and combat transnational crime.
