The main suspect behind refilling of branded bottles with counterfeit alcohol was arrested on Tuesday, November 29, after a multi-agency operation.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the officers swung into action, acting on high intelligence to intercept the goods that were on transit to various destinations in the country.
Sleuths intercepted a vehicle ferrying the illicit products, arrested the driver and recovered a consignment of assorted counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
"170 cartons containing thousands of bottles of counterfeited spirits destined for the local market were also recovered, following the meticulous operation," DCI stated.
DCI indicated that the counterfeited drinks whose safety to consumers is not ascertained, were packaged in other branded bottles.
"The apprehended suspect later led detectives to their bottle collection yard where used bottles of different brands were assembled after being dumped," DCI revealed.
Famed for high level tax evasion, the syndicate uses tactics to escape the government's dragnet in the production and distribution of counterfeit products.
A similar recovery operation was carried out barely 24-hours after detectives raided an illegal alcohol production plant in Njiru area of Kasarani, Nairobi. During the operation, officers recovered counterfeited KRA stamps and machines used in the production of illicit alcohol.
The crackdown followed a recent Presidential directive for law enforcement to crack the whip on counterfeit products. This was after it was discovered that unscrupulous businessmen had devised new techniques of evading taxes.
Christened 'Operation Uchumi' it targets counterfeiting criminal networks that have proliferated the country.
Counterfeits pose a serious danger to the lives and safety of consumers and deny legitimate business players a level-playing ground..
Statistics from the taxman indicate that local manufacturers lose Ksh5.1 billion to counterfeiters while the government loses Ksh9.75 billion potential tax revenue, annually.
