POLICE IN KISUMU AND KAKAMEGA COUNTIES ARE TRAILING CRUCIAL LINKS THAT COULD FINALLY UNEARTH THE CARTELS BEHIND COUNTERFEITS.

Officers from the criminal investigation department (CID) from Kisumu and Kakamega counties are investigating a syndicate where counterfeit alcohol is produced and sold to unsuspecting members of the public.

The fake liquor is said to be produced outside the two counties, packed in used bottles of genuine liquor, and transferred to these regions to be sold to the public.

Revealing the syndicate after trailing the contraband product that led to the arrest of one suspect who received the package in Kakamega, the Kakamega County Police Commander Magnagen Warui said they were following the links in an effort to crack down on the cartels.

Police are now calling upon members of the public to be more cautious and ensure that they are consuming the right products that have been certified by the Kenya Bureau of standards (KEBS).

Confirming the incident, Warui said that Police acting on a tip off from members of the public arrested the suspect in Kakamega after receiving the parcel from Kisumu, which indicated it had originated from Nairobi.

Police found among other things, fake KRA stickers, several liters of a product suspected to be sulphuric acid and stickers of several different liquor brands.

When the suspect appeared in court today, the prosecutor requested for 5 more days to complete investigations, arguing that preferring charges against the suspect would imply that they are also vilifying one of the companies that had been roped into the syndicate using their stickers.

The Kakamega County Commander called for tight vigilance through all government agencies especially KEBS to ensure that such products that are harmful to the health of innocent Kenyans do not find their way to our markets.

He said the re-emergence of contraband and counterfeits particularly liquor is slowly penetrating back to our markets owing to strenuous bureaucracies by some government departments and unleveled playing ground.

“The president’s order last year to crack down on illicit brew was a genuine one but after the licenses were drawn by NACCADA so that all manufacturers apply afresh, we have information that some unscrupulous businessmen in Nairobi are using unethical means to frustrate Western Kenya manufacturers in a bid to have the monopoly of controlling production of liquor” revealed Warui.

 Mr. Warui warned that if the process is not reviewed to favor everybody more so Western Kenya manufacturers then Kenyans are still at a risk of consuming illicit liquor because some businessmen will go to the extreme of using other means to produce alcohol.

ENDS.