Police seize 6,850 bags of bad sugar in Meru, Nakuru raids

Police have seized 6,850 bags of illegal sugar after raiding stores in Meru, Maua and Nakuru towns. PHOTO | MAGDALENE WANJA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • In Meru County, 5,500 bags have been impounded following raids in Maua and Meru towns on Monday.

Nearly 7,000 bags of suspected contraband sugar have been seized in Meru and Nakuru counties as crackdown on illicit trade intensifies.

In Meru County, 5,500 bags have been impounded following raids in Maua and Meru towns on Monday.

On Monday morning, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers impounded 3,000 bags of the illegal sugar at Kanini Haraka Wholsesalers in Meru town and later at night seized 2,500 bags in Maua town after widening their search.

Meru County Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga said the sugar seized in Maua town was in a store operated by the Kanini Haraka Wholesalers' owner.

Security officers had earlier been deployed in across the county to ensure the commodity is not sold to unsuspecting Kenyans amid fears the sugar could be contaminated with mercury and copper.

“We are carrying out our surveillance in all outlets, including supermarkets. Surprisingly, some of the packaged sugar has disappeared from the shelves but we will make sure it is not sold,” Mr Nyagwanga said in a telephone interview.

“The owner of the warehouses is based in Nairobi and is still at large but we will make sure he is arrested and charged with the crime,” he added.

The sugar, imported from Brazil, was being repackaged into bags to show it was sourced from Zambia.

Thirteen workers who were found repackaging the sugar in Meru town were arrested.

NAKURU RAID

On Tuesday, police seized 1,350 bags of sugar at Kanini Plaza stores in Nakuru town. Nakuru East Deputy County Commissioner Hassan Omar, who is leading the crackdown, said the sugar is believed to also have been imported from Brazil

The raids come at a time when the country has been flooded with illegal sugar with police impounding thousands of bags in various parts of the country, with claims that some of the commodity contains poisonous substances.