A routine-looking building in Vihiga County has become the center of a major criminal investigation after detectives from Kenya Police Service uncovered what they believe was a well-organized operation involving suspected contraband cigarettes and government-subsidised fertiliser.
The dramatic operation was carried out by detectives from Luanda Police Station in collaboration with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters Operations Unit following intelligence reports linking the premises to illegal activities.
According to investigators, the targeted property is located in Mwichio Township, Emuhaya Sub-County, and is allegedly associated with a suspect popularly known as “Moi”, who is believed to be part of a wider network dealing in uncustomized tobacco products and diverted government farm inputs.
During the raid, detectives recovered 36 boxes of suspected uncustomized Supermatch King Size cigarettes containing an estimated 6,000 cigarette sticks.
They also found two boxes of Oris cigarettes that had reportedly been marked exclusively for export, raising questions about how the products found their way into the local market.
The operation also uncovered 50 bags of 50-kilogram fertiliser supplied under a Government of Kenya subsidy programme through the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
The fertiliser, manufactured by OCP Company, is intended to help farmers access affordable farm inputs, making its alleged diversion a serious economic offence.
Besides the tobacco products and fertiliser, detectives seized five bales of plastic bags, 19 bales of Nice Flat Bags (5×8) containing 200 pieces each, as well as 90 packets of assorted-colour Rizzla rolling papers believed to have been part of the suspected illegal business.
Two suspects identified as Ruth Ongachi and Shem Amianda were arrested during the operation.
The pair remains in police custody as detectives finalize investigations before presenting them in court.
Authorities have since transported all recovered items to the Vihiga County DCI headquarters, where they are being held as exhibits while investigators work to establish the origin of the goods, map out the distribution network, and identify other individuals who may be connected to the alleged racket.
The DCI said the operation forms part of its ongoing crackdown on contraband trade and economic crimes, noting that such illegal activities not only deprive the government of revenue but also undermine legitimate businesses and programmes meant to benefit ordinary Kenyans.
The investigative agency has further appealed to members of the public to continue providing information that could help expose individuals involved in illicit trade and other forms of organized economic crime.
FOLLOW NAIROBI NEWS ON FACEBOOK
