120 Smartphones, Laptops Recovered as Detectives Raid Makadara Home

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Makadara have seized a haul of suspected stolen property following a raid at a residence in the area.

In a statement on Tuesday, September 23, the agency said the items recovered include 120 smartphones, 10 laptops, two tablets, 18 assorted gas cylinders and assorted mobile phone spare parts.

The DCI said the operation was launched after detectives received intelligence concerning suspected stolen electronic devices and other property allegedly held by a suspect.

"The recovery followed intelligence received by detectives concerning suspected stolen electronic devices and other property in the suspect’s possession," the statement read.

According to the DCI, acting on the intelligence, detectives raided the residence of Julius Murengi Gacheru, where they recovered the assorted items.

Gacheru was subsequently arrested and placed in custody as detectives commenced investigations into the source and ownership of the recovered property.

"The recovered items are now being processed as detectives work to establish their rightful owners and piece together the circumstances under which they came into the suspect’s possession," the statement added.

Meanwhile, detectives arrested two suspects trying to smuggle 1.5 tonnes of sugar through a porous section along the Kenya-Uganda border.

According to the agency, the suspects used the ungazetted route to avoid remitting taxes to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) at the border customs office at Busia.

Police officers discovered the consignment after flagging down the suspects' vehicle in Busia Town.

"An inspection of the vehicle led to the recovery of 30 bags of sugar, each weighing 50 kilograms, smuggled past the taxman's watchful eye by sneaking through an unmanned entry point instead of a designated border crossing; a well-worn trick that has now landed its suspected couriers in police cells," the statement read.

The police impounded the vehicle and the undeclared sugar at the Busia Police Station. The suspects are booked and processed before their arraignment in court.

DCI confirmed that law enforcement had intensified patrols along Kenya's border points smugglers exploit to bypass taxation.

"This is part of the National Police Service's wider crackdown on economic crimes that continue to bleed the country of much-needed revenue," the statement added.