A receipt from a Nakumatt supermarket in Mombasa’s Nyali estate played a crucial role in the arrest of a key suspect in the Sh370 million ivory smuggling case, which was uncovered in Singapore last month.
According to investigators, the suspect, Said Juma Said, a Tanzanian national with multiple identities and both Kenyan and Tanzanian ID papers, had rented a house where the initial tea consignment was allegedly replaced with ivory.
Evidence and Investigation ¶
An X-ray examination of the container in Thailand revealed that the ivory was inserted after the container bottoms were cut. Detectives believe that Said was assisted by Nicholas Mweri Jefwa, a former Siginon Freight employee who remains at large.
A search of the house yielded several items, including ivory chips, an electric cutter, and the Nakumatt receipt. The receipt, issued by Nakumatt’s Likoni branch, was linked to a purchase made using a Nakumatt Smart card registered in the name of Sheikh Mahmoud Abdulrahaman.
Further investigation by the Immigration department confirmed that the passport and photos belonged to Said Juma Said, who also used the alias Abdulrahaman Mahmoud Sheikh.
Suspect's Movements and Assets ¶
It is alleged that Said traveled extensively, visiting Nairobi, Mombasa, and crossing the Lunga Lunga border point. He also owns a fleet of cars and a four-story building in Majengo, and is the director of a family company, Funzi Island, in Tanzania.
Said is also believed to operate a transport company and had used the same telephone line to register access to ports on August 1, 2014, for a period of two years.
Container Movement and Seizure ¶
Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet stated that the ivory chips and electric cutter were sent to the Kenya Wildlife Service laboratory for analysis. Detectives have also traced the movement of the containers prior to their seizure, with one container leaving Mombasa on April 6 and another on April 19.
Initial Tea Export Plan ¶
The investigation began in September last year when Jefwa contacted Almasi Chai (K) Ltd to procure 66 tonnes of tea for export in six batches. On March 19, Jefwa approached Rais Shipping Services (K) Ltd to export the consignment, with Siginon Freight as the forwarding agent and Keshav Trader, Dubai, as the consignee.
Three Siginon Freight employees and three Kenya Revenue Authority officers have been arrested in connection with the smuggling operation, accused of releasing the containers without proper customs clearance and failing to provide adequate security.
