Counterfeit alcoholic drinks seized by police and KRA officials in Nakuru
Police in Nakuru alongside Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials on Thursday evening, 11 May 2023, seized several fake alcoholic drinks.
In a raid conducted by sleuths attached to the Economic Crimes Unit, a wing of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Pipeline Area, Nakuru County, over 120 cartons of various alcoholic drinks with fake KRA stamps were recovered.
“The consignment included 79 cartons of Spark vodka, 26 of Bob vodka, 17 of Best vodka, 1 carton of Boss vodka and 2 cartons of assorted bottle caps were recovered,” the DCI said in a statement.
The DCI further said that the value of the goods seized following the raid is estimated at Sh730,000 and the total tax lost as calculated by the KRA is Sh342,482.
Also read: List of counterfeit alcohol confiscated in Thika by police and KRA
The raid was carried out after the officers secured a seizure notice and they have now launched a manhunt for the owner of the unlicensed business.
A source close to the matter told this reporter that the production of the drinks has been linked to Patiala Distillers, which is based in Nairobi.
They were yet to confirm this, but most of the materials found at the premises had the company’s branding.
Investigations by Nairobi News now reveal that the company is based in Embakasi area and efforts to contact them for comment were unsuccessful as they did not respond to our calls or text messages.
The company boasts of being in the Kenyan market for over ten years and was registered under the Companies Act, Cap 486 of the Kenyan Laws in 2009.
The raid comes at a time when the government has declared war on counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
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