The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) intercepted the smuggling of 8,750 litres of ethanol concealed in 617 cartons of a popular milk brand in a truck.
The authority announced in a press release on Tuesday, May 6, that the seizure took place during a routine traffic stop in Webuye, Bungoma County.
The truck had been pulled over on its way to Kisumu, upon which the officer decided to conduct a verification of the cargo, thereby revealing 35 barrels, each 250 litres thought to be ethanol.
After realising his ruse had been busted, the driver of the Isuzu lorry fled, leaving his wares behind.
A multi-agency team led by Webuye Sub County Deputy County Commissioner conducted a verification of the goods on May 1 at the Webuye Police Station.
Samples of the product were also sent to the government chemist for further verification analysis. As for the truck, it was seized and detained at Webuye Police Station awaiting the conclusion of the investigations.
This is not the first time that KRA has made such a large interception through collaborations with multi-agency teams, with over 100,000 litres seized since 2023.
In most of these seizures, the smugglers used various tricks to deceive authorities when they were in transit, but in all cases, they were busted.
For instance, two tanker trailers with secret compartments used to conceal 40,971 litres of ethanol were caught in Limuru, Kiambu County, on August 26, 2024, with only 2,720 litres in the main compartments. The value of the ethanol was estimated at Ksh47.4 million.
In another bizarre incident, 15,000 litres of ethanol in 60 barrels were intercepted at Mai Mahiu concealed with maize cobs inside a truck in November 2023. The goods were being transported from neighbouring Tanzania.
