Kenyan police seize 600 bags of illegal sugar from Somalia

Published: July 12, 2014

Kenyan police seize 600 bags of illegal sugar from SomaliaKenyan police said Saturday they have impounded 600 bags of illegal brown sugar in the border town of Mandera allegedly smuggled from neighboring Somalia.

Mandera County Criminal Investigation Department (CID) commander John Otieno said the 600 bags contraband brown sugar was nabbed in Takaba town of Mandera west Sub County on Friday evening.

The sugar was aboard two lorries stashed in 50 kg bags and was on its way into the country through Kenya’s Elwak-Somalia border entry point in Mandera South Constituency.

The Ministry of Agriculture says between 30,000- 50,000 metric tonnes of sugar is illegally imported into Kenya annually.

Otieno said the Elwak border has been on use and the illegal dealers have been evading police dragnet.

“The Elwak border entry point is closed but the traders have been using other dubious means to bring in the contrabands,” the local CID chief added.

He said the police are laying more ambushes along the Kenya- Somalia border to control the entry of unaccustomed goods into Kenya.