The Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Monday evening arrested 18 suspects found offloading cargo declared for export at a godown in Eastleigh, Nairobi.
Through a statement released on Tuesday, DCI revealed that the suspects were caught during an ambush, with the detectives recovering a consignment of fabrics allegedly in transit from the Port of Mombasa to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“DCI detectives have arrested 18 suspects at a godown in Eastleigh, Nairobi, after they were ambushed while offloading a consignment of fabrics allegedly on transit from the port of Mombasa to DRC,” the sleuths revealed.
DCI revealed that the individuals were part of a suspected ring of organized criminals involved in tax fraud by falsely declaring goods for exports but later diverting them into local markets.
According to DCI, the criminals had colluded with government officials to change the number plates of the trailer carrying the consignment as well as tampering with the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) to drive the cargo out of the port.
“In a classic case of impunity and conspiracy with rogue government officials, the trailer carrying the consignment was spotted changing its original registration plates 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,” DCI said.
To further conceal the vehicle’s identity, the criminals, led by the truck driver, were said to have decorated the trailer with stickers.
As per the detectives, it was only when the trailer went into a parking yard in Eastleigh that the detectives ambushed the individuals who had been on their radar for some time.
The detectives noted that their investigative trail revealed that the criminals had previously diverted five trucks of the same type of consignment headed for DRC. All of the five trucks said to have been raided belong to the same individual, a Congolese national.
The criminals had also been under investigation by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for illegal tax activity.
Further, the sleuths observed the criminals gained notoriety for their ability to compromise RECTS officers manning the trackers and those deployed on the transit corridor to respond in case of an alert on interference of the RECTS seal.
“It is also believed that the suspects are part of a wider criminal web that has been diverting goods on transit, having mastered the art of compromising RECTS officers manning the trackers and those deployed on the transit corridor to respond in case of an alert on interference of the RECTS seal,” the DCI informed.
The activities of the criminal cartel are likely to have a significant impact on the revenue collected by the government, as textiles are subjected to higher rates of taxation, which the group can avoid through its operations.
