This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On November 1, 2019, Kenya re-shipped four high-end vehicles to the United Kingdom, believed to have been stolen and brought into the country in April.
The vehicles, including a black Range Rover Vogue Autobiography, a white Mercedes Benz GLE, and two black Range Rover Sports Autobiography, were estimated to be worth more than Ksh40 million ($400,000).
The vehicles were stolen from Berkshire, London, and Oxfordshire between November 11, 2018, and February 7, and were seized by a security team drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and the UK's National Crime Agency.
British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, said the UK was actively involved in monitoring, coordinating, and liaising with the KRA to support the re-shipment of the vehicles.
"I am extremely grateful to our Kenyan partners whose continued efforts are acting as a deterrent to organised crime networks both in East Africa and the UK," said Mr. Waqar Qureshi, who represented Mr. Hailey.
"We will continue to work closely with our Kenyan partners to combat serious organised crime which impacts on both the Kenyan and the British public," he added.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), DCI, and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) attributed the interception to information and intelligence shared by Kenyan agencies and their international law enforcement partners.
Between March and September, up to 21 high-end vehicles, valued at more than Ksh130 million ($1.3 million), that were stolen from the UK were intercepted at the port of Mombasa.
The agencies said that the seizures and the re-shipment of the vehicles were a success against illicit trade and sent a strong message to criminal networks in East Africa and beyond that the port of Mombasa will not be used as a conduit for illicit trade.
