The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has landed a big blow on cigarette smuggers following the interception of a large shipment of contraband cigarettes worth over Ksh281 million at the Port of Mombasa.
In a statement issued on Friday, KRA said that the crackdown was for a cargo of more than 9.3 million cigarette sticks that had been secretly packed inside a 40-foot box.
This was preceded by an intelligence-led investigation that raised suspicions about the consignment, which necessitated the formation of a team by KRA to check the content of the container.
“Owing to the nature of the cargo, a 100% physical examination was carried out to ensure conformity with the tax, standards, and enforcement regulations,” the KRA explained.
Officers from various police units participated in this raid, including the Port Police, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), the Port Health Services, and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), among others, regarding the complexity of the raid involved.
The scan disclosed that the container had 937 cartons containing a total of 9,370,000 cigarette sticks. The cartons were marked “Made in Sudan,” although the country of consignment marked in the documents was Cambodia. This raised an immediate suspicion.
As per KRA rules, this shipment was transshipped in Singapore before reaching Mombasa Port and was to be delivered to South Sudan in what was normally a smuggling route used to mask the original and final destinations of the contraband goods.
According to the authority, the taxes owed on the seized consignment are Ksh83.39 million, which is made up of Ksh38.42 million in excise duty and Ksh44.98 million in value added tax.
KRA pointed out that the seizure not only safeguards government revenue but also safeguards consumers from the potential dangers of products that may not have been scrutinized for their safety. The authority reiterated its commitment to increasing its surveillance at the ports of entry and collaborating with other various entities to disrupt the smuggling rings and slow the illicit trade that continues to cost the country billions.
