KRA seizes contraband ethanol worth Sh15m imported as spaghetti

KRA seizes ethanol worth Sh15m imported as spaghetti.

KRA has impounded a consignment of Ethanol worth Sh15 million believed to have been imported from the United Arab Emirates.

The consignment which was found when KRA officials conducted a raid at the Inland Container Depot in Nairobi had been concealed in four containers that had been filled with boxes of spaghetti.

The incident comes days after several Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) employees had been arrested over claims of corruption.

The suspects who included junior officers and their bosses had also been accused of aiding tax evasion.

“The 57,600 litres of Ethanol had been neatly filled in 288 drums before being loaded into the four shipping containers,” said KRA Customs Commissioner Kevin Safari.

"The containers imported by Erikan Holdings Limited had been masked with a total of 10,600 packages of spaghetti,” he said.

The containers had arrived at the Kenya Ports Authority-operated depot last month.

Following the incident, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and KRA officers have launched a probe against the importers of the contraband ethanol.