29 Arrested, Counterfeit Goods Worth Ksh62.7 Million Seized in Joint Operation

A multi-agency team in collaboration with INTERPOL has arrested 29 suspects and seized counterfeit goods worth Ksh62.7 million in a three-day nationwide operation.  

In a statement on Thursday, October 15, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the operation dubbed Usalama XII was carried out in Nairobi, Central, Coast, Rift Valley, Eastern, Nyanza and Western regions. 

The operation targeted counterfeit goods, illicit alcohol, soft drinks, smuggled cigarettes, self-care products, falsified pharmaceuticals, human trafficking and wildlife-related crimes.

“Dubbed Operation Usalama XII, the intelligence-led exercise covered Nairobi, Central, Coast, Rift Valley, Eastern, Nyanza and Western regions, bringing together the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHTCPU), National Anti-Narcotic Investigations Bureau (NANIB), Pharmacy and Poisons Board, brand owners and local police units,” read the statement in part. 

The three-day operation recorded 29 arrests, seizures of suspected counterfeit and contraband goods valued at over Ksh62.7 million and 198 motor vehicle checks against INTERPOL databases. 

The multi-agency team rescued seven suspected victims of trafficking and recovered 85 Kenyan passports from a suspected illegal recruitment agency.

In Nairobi, the team recovered suspected counterfeit consumer goods, electrical accessories and automotive components worth millions of shillings.

“The seizures included 3,991 suspected counterfeit Samsung and iPhone adapters, 1,963 football jerseys and Adidas balls, beauty products, vehicle spare parts and lubricants,” DCI said. 

The multi-agency team also recovered suspected falsified pharmaceuticals and diverted public medical supplies from an unlicensed clinic in Kayole and several bottles of products suspected to contain narcotic or psychotropic substances from a pharmacy in Eastleigh. 

The operation extended to Nakuru County, where officers arrested a suspect transporting 90,000 sticks of suspected smuggled cigarettes valued at approximately Ksh2 million and recovered counterfeit excise stamps.

Other counterfeit and unmarked alcoholic beverages were sized in Nyanza and Central regions. 

The officers also recovered suspected counterfeit mobile phones, storage devices and footwear in the two regions. 

Further, the environmental enforcement component led by KWS recovered wildlife products and illegal fishing equipment across several locations.

“These included 37.5 kilogrammes of dik-dik carcasses in Tana River, approximately 40 kilogrammes of dik-dik carcasses in Kuranze Ranch, 4 kilogrammes of zebra meat in Tsavo East, 1,500 cedar posts in Narok, 75 mangrove rafters in Malindi and 552.3 kilogrammes of fish at Lake Nakuru National Park, where nine suspects were arrested,” DCI said. 

The DCI also mentioned that investigations into the seized products and arrested suspects are ongoing. 

“Investigations into the seized products and arrested suspects are ongoing, including forensic analysis of suspected psychoactive substances, verification of counterfeit goods and further inquiries into suspected illegal recruitment, human trafficking, pharmaceutical offences and illicit alcohol trade,” the agency added. 

This comes a day after DCI detectives recovered 63 stolen phones in Nairobi and Thika.

DCI said the detectives mounted a crackdown on a suspected stolen-electronics racket after victims reported that the suspects were trying to tamper with IMEI numbers of the stolen phones.

"The detectives raided a room on the eighth floor of Aliza Plaza, where Elvis Thuita Gitau was arrested. The search led to the recovery of 57 assorted mobile phones, two tablets, two laptops, among other devices suspected to be stolen," the police report read.

Five other phones were recovered after police officers on patrol hunted down three suspects who had snatched a phone from a passenger in a public service vehicle (PSV).

The officers arrested two of the suspects and impounded their motorcycle. The two led officers to a hideout where their accomplice had escaped to.