In an operation carried out by the Economic & Commercial Crimes Unit and officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), a significant consignment of illicit powdered milk worth over Sh75 million was successfully recovered.
The raid took place in the Eastlands suburbs of Nairobi, targeting a godown in the Mowlem area of Umoja III on Tuesday, May, 16.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the powdered milk had already been deemed unsuitable for human consumption at the Port of Mombasa.
The milk was slated for destruction, as it posed a risk to public health. However, the investigators were perplexed as to how this condemned consignment found its way to the godown in Nairobi, and they are currently working diligently to unravel the mystery.
It is strongly suspected that the smuggled consignment originated from a godown in Mombasa.
Detectives believe the perpetrators clandestinely transported the powdered milk to Nairobi, where they planned to repackage it and sell it to unsuspecting members of the public.
This illicit scheme, if successful, would have had dire consequences for the health of Kenyans.
Acting swiftly upon receiving vital intelligence, police officers conducted the raid.
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Their efforts paid off as they uncovered 1,511 bags of powdered milk within the premises. These bags, each weighing 25 kilograms, had their expiry date labels removed, indicating clear intentions to repackage the milk for sale.
To ensure public safety, officials from the Kenya Bureau of Standards were immediately called in to assess the situation.
They promptly declared the seized powdered milk unsuitable for human consumption, reinforcing the initial determination made in Mombasa.
The dangers posed by such adulterated and unfit products cannot be underestimated, as they can have severe health consequences for unsuspecting consumers.
The government also suffered a loss of over Sh32 million in unpaid taxes due to the smuggling of the consignment.
Investigators have intensified their efforts to track down the mastermind behind this elaborate scheme.
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