• Three suspects were arrested in connection to the incident.
• The suspects include a person who presented himself at the station with a mining permit claiming to be the owner of the detonators.
The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit in Taveta, Taita Taveta County has launched investigations after Kenya Revenue Authority customs officers based at the Taveta-Holili One-Stop Border Post seized 1,000 pieces of explosive detonators.
In a press statement on Monday, KRA said the explosives were nabbed at Mwakitau, one kilometre away from Maktau roadblock along the Taveta-Mombasa highway.
The consignment was being transported together with Tobacco by a truck registration number T143ARG, the statement read.
Three suspects were arrested in connection to the incident.
The suspects include a person who presented himself at the station with a mining permit claiming to be the owner of the detonators.
Others are the driver of the truck and a turn boy who are both Tanzanian nationals. They were handed over to the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit.
“The KRA team, backed by administration police officers attached to the OSBP, while on routine patrols intercepted the devices The consignment in the vehicle had been declared at the border point as raw tobacco from Moshi Tanzania and was destined to Mombasa,”
However, upon rummaging by customs officers, and checking the cabin, the officers found two packages of Supreme Plain detonators in the vehicle.
A joint verification by the multi-agency team from KRA, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and officers from the National Police Service confirmed the parcel contained 1,000 pieces of detonators.
The pieces had been packed in 10 boxes containing 100 pieces each.
The truck driver claimed the detonators were handed over to him at Taveta town to be delivered to the owner at Mwatate.
The vehicle and the detonators have been detained and deposited in the custom’s warehouse in Taveta.
The suspects will be charged with contravening the Explosive Act.