Police, KRA officials seize over 12 tonnes of contraband sugar in Eldoret

Police in Eldoret impounded over 12 tonnes of suspected contraband sugar on Monday at a warehouse belonging to a leading chain store in North Rift region.

The officers accompanied by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials intercepted a truck laden with cargo packed in 50kg bags while being offloaded to the warehouse owned by a supermarket.

The consignment was packaged as brown sugar produced in Brazil and Mauritius.

Eldoret West OCPD Samuel Mutunga who led the joint operation said they intercepted the contraband sugar following a tip off from members of the public.

“We were alerted by members of the public about the arrival of suspicious consignment of imported sugar at the warehouse owned by the stated chain store. I instantly mobilized my officers and impounded the cargo before it could find its way into local market,” said the police boss.

He said the seized brown sugar which was packed in June 2017 and whose expiry date indicates June 2019 did not have quality mark from the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS).

The operation attracted huge crowd of curious onlookers as news filtered in that the poisonous sugar might have already made way in their houses.

Mutunga said that officers from KRA and Kebs will verify and test the impounded sugar with a view to establish whether it is fit for human consumption or not before taking any further action on owners of the goods.

“We have taken the truck load of the contraband sugar to Eldoret police station pending further investigations to establish how those linked to the impounded managed to import it into the country without paying tax,” said Mutunga.