Police in Taveta arrest three suspects with explosive detonators

Customs officers based at the Taveta-Holili One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) on Friday evening seized 1,000 pieces of explosive detonators at Mwakitau along the Taveta- Mombasa highway.

Three suspects were arrested in connection to the incident, police and the customs officials said.

The KRA team, backed by administration police officers attached to the OSBP, while on routine patrols intercepted the devices while being transported together with Tobacco by a truck at around 5.30 pm, a kilometre from Maktau roadblock, Taita Taveta County. 

The consignment in the vehicle had been declared at the border point as raw tobacco from Moshi Tanzania and was destined to Mombasa. However, on being stopped and upon rummaging by Customs officers, and checking the cabin, two packages of Supreme Plain detonators were found in the vehicle prompting the officers to escort the vehicle back to OSBP.

Upon interrogation, the driver claimed the detonators were handed over to him at Taveta town to be delivered to the owner at Mwatate.

A joint verification by the multi-agency team from KRA, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Police Service confirmed the parcel contained 1,000 pieces of detonators, which had been packed in 10 boxes containing 100 pieces each.

The vehicle and the detonators were detained and deposited in the Customs warehouse.

The suspects, including a person who presented himself at the station with a mining permit claiming to be the owner of the detonators, the driver of the truck and a turn boy who are both Tanzanian nationals, were arrested and handed over to the Anti- Terrorism Police Unit for questioning.

They will be charged with contravening the Explosive Act.