This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 4, 2019, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials intercepted two twenty-foot containers at the Port of Mombasa, containing 144 drums of concealed ethanol.
The ethanol, valued at over Sh12 million in taxes, had been mis-declared as 1000 bags of cement. The drums, with a capacity of 200 liters each, were concealed in 285 boxes of spaghetti to prevent detection.
According to KRA's Customs and Border Control Commissioner, Kevin Safari, the containers were scanned using non-intrusive scanners, revealing inconsistency with the declared cargo.
‘Customs officers have also seized another high-end motor-vehicle, a Range Rover Sport suspected to have been stolen from the United Kingdom which had been mis-declared as second-hand window frames, doors, folding chairs, stools, and wall pictures,’ said Safari.
The Range Rover, with a country of origin in the United Kingdom, was destined for Kampala, Uganda, with the consignor listed in Dubai, UAE.
The importation of ethanol is restricted, with only licensed firms and dealers allowed to import the product to reduce the manufacturing of illicit alcohol.
