Two arrested in Vihiga with counterfeit alcoholic products
Kisumu residents help Kenya Revenue Authority officials destroy counterfeit alcohol worth which was confiscated from various outlets in Western on May 25, 2015. Police in Vihiga on Saturday arrested two people with counterfeit alcoholic products. PHOTO | TONNY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The two were arrested and their stores ransacked for the illegal goods, following leads from members of the public and complaints from the legal producers of the beverage.
Two suspects were on Saturday morning arrested and unknown value of counterfeit alcoholic products seized by police in Gambogi, Vihiga County.
The duo were were found producing various brands of fake alcohol, packaging them before selling them to unsuspecting consumers mostly in Vihiga, Kakamega and Kisumu counties.
The two were arrested and their stores ransacked for the illegal goods, following leads from members of the public and complaints from the legal producers of the beverage.
According to Vihiga Central OCPD Justin Nyaga, officials found used bottles packed in sacks, bottle tops, fake Kenya Bureau of Standards seals and eight jerricans of a substance suspected to be ethanol.
“The suspects collect used alcohol bottles in markets and streets and later wash them and fill them with the alcoholic substance before distributing to the market around,” said Mr Nyaga. The bottle tops are said to be bought in Nairobi.
He however said they were not able to get the machine used in bottling but will enhance crackdown to flash out illegal dealers from next week.
The OCPD asked members of the public from Vihiga to be on the alert and report any suspect dealing with illicit alcohol.
“Such people put the lives of innocent people at risk and that is why the public must surrender any information they have on such people, to the police for us to act swiftly and stop this vice,” said Mr Nyaga.
Mr Nyaga said the suspects will be arraigned in court on Monday.
