DCI busts transit clothes diversion ring, arrests 18 suspects
Since imported textile is subjected to higher rates of taxation, the cartel evades huge amounts of taxes leading to loss of revenue by the government
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives have arrested 18 suspects at a godown in Eastleigh, Nairobi, after they were found offloading a consignment of fabrics allegedly on transit from the Port of Mombasa to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The arrest, which was effected last evening followed days of surveillance by officers from the elite Operation Support Unit (OSU), who have been trailing a suspected ring of organised criminals involved in tax fraud by falsely declaring goods as exports but later diverting them into local markets.
In what what the DCI believes is the result of conspiracy with rogue government officials, the trailer carrying the consignment (KBT 641G/ZD3436), the suspects were spotted changing its original registration plates to KBY 548K at the Machakos Junction, and, at the same time, tampered with the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) before proceeding with the journey towards Nairobi.
After several stops around Nairobi, perhaps, to find out whether the tampering had been detected, the trailer proceeded with the journey to Mai Mahiu, where the driver assisted by another person decorated the truck with some stickers to further conceal its identity.
The DCI says the vehicle then took a turn to Nairobi’s Eastleigh area at the KBS parking yard where it was opened and the offloading started.
The detectives, however, immediately struck arresting the 18 suspects, including the driver Meshack Leo and two store owners, Yusuf Mohammed Noor and Abdi Nasir Dur.
According to the DCI, preliminary investigations have established that the same syndicate has been under investigations by DCI and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Investigations Department whereby it previously diverted five trucks with the same type of consignment and consignee/importer, one Kasdama Kasongo Francois of DRC.
It is also believed that the suspects are part of a wider criminal web that has been diverting goods on transit, having mastered how to compromise RECTS officers manning the trackers and those deployed on the transit corridor in case of an alert on interference of the RECTS seal.
Since imported textile is subjected to higher rates of taxation, the cartel evades huge amounts of taxes leading to loss of revenue by the government.
