A routine tip-off operation turned out lucrative for the police on December 22 after arrests were made at Lucky Summer Police Station of a 38-year-old male suspect believed to be the kingpin of a counterfeit cash racket in Nairobi.
Detectives were following a Toyota Prado that was presumed to be carrying counterfeit U.S. dollar denominations. This vehicle was later intercepted in the area of Lucky Summer where a search was conducted.
Concealed in the boot was a locked blue metal box that caught the attention of the officers immediately. The suspect was allegedly asked to open the box, but he refused, leading the police to accompany him to the station for further questioning.
It was at the police station that the box was eventually broken open, and inside, there were 68 packs of fake U.S. dollar bills, with every pack containing 100 counterfeit notes. The other items that were found, which the police think were intended for hiding the money, are boxes, newspapers, cotton wool, sand, and stones.
The arrest is but another case being dealt with by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations this year involving counterfeit currency, with authorities making every effort to dismantle counterfeit currency rings.
In August, two females were arrested in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi after the organization’s detectives discovered fake US currency to the tune of USD 560,000, approximating KSh70 million, concealed in a handbag. Another incident took place at Ngara, where seven suspects, comprising Kenyans, Tanzanians, and Congolese, were arrested at Travellers House, and the police discovered 36 packages of US fake money, plastic replicas, and paper, often used to make fake currency.
Similar raidswith the aim of combating the vice were conducted in October and November along the Coast, resulting in the arrest of three suspects in Kwale and one in Lang’ata. During this operation, the police recovered fake money amounting to about USD 31,700.
The suspect who was arrested in relation to Lucky Summer is currently in custody as the detectives continue to investigate to determine the extent of the crime syndicate. He will then appear in court once the investigations are complete.
