- KRA said the suspects concealed the ethanol as imported molasses from a neighbouring country.
- The Authority said the Molasses was used to conceal the ethanol.
The Kenya Revenue Authority has revealed the tricks suspects used to smuggle 40,000 litres of ethanol into the country.
The KRA investigation department and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations exercised a joint operation.
The operation unravelled the concealment trick employed by purported unscrupulous traders in an ethanol smuggling racket.
The intelligence-led operation began on Sunday, August 25, 2024, to August 28, 2024.
The operation led to the seizure of 40,971 litres of smuggled ethanol valued at Sh26.9 million.
KRA said the suspects concealed the ethanol as imported molasses from a neighbouring country.
The authority said the molasses was used to conceal the ethanol.
The ethanol was transported to Limuru in two tanker trucks, each carrying 17,766 litres and 23,205 litres.
The main compartments of both tankers were filled with a total of only 2,720 litres of molasses, while the rest included concealed compartments filled with ethanol.
"The valves of the tankers were constructed to drain molasses, whereas the ethanol, being the bulk of the content, remained hidden and could only be drawn through pipes passed through the hidden compartments," the KRA Investigations and Enforcement Commissioner said in a statement.
The investigation teams subjected the vehicles to scanning to ascertain the concealed compartments, and later the contents were drawn for forensic tests to establish the chemical composition.
The Commissioner added that the goods are currently detained at a KRA warehouse for further investigations and processing of suspects.
The tanker crossed into Kenya through the Lwakhakha border station between August 19 and 24, 2024.
KRA said that through the interception, a tax loss of over Sh20.5 million was averted.
Police arrested one tanker driver who is currently detained at Capitol Hill police station, while the driver and the owner of the other tanker and consignment are being pursued.
According to the KRA Commissioner, the purported unscrupulous traders employ various tricks to conceal the illicit ethanol, making it hard to detect.
In 2023, at least 60,000 litres of smuggled ethanol into the country was impounded.
Ethanol smuggling and manufacturing of counterfeit alcoholic drinks creates unfair trade competition and poses health and safety risks to the citizenry.
According to the Commissioner, smuggled ethanol is mainly used in the manufacture of cheap counterfeited alcoholic drinks.
"In the spirit of a one-government approach in the fight against illicit trade, KRA calls upon all law enforcement agencies and the general public to join efforts by sharing intelligence reports to help dismantle these cartels for the wider public good," the Commissioner added.