Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested six with suspected uncustomed goods.
In a statement on Sunday, September 15, 2024, DCI said that the six were arrested following an operation dubbed Operation Usalama, which involves 14 Eastern African countries.
One of the suspects, Brian Ouya, was arrested at a beauty shop in Kisumu City with suspected uncustomed goods.
“Acting on intelligence, the Operation USALAMA X team launched a three-day operation in Kisumu city where major searches were conducted in various business premises. During the operation, the team recovered a range of uncustomed goods, including Vaseline, Dove, and St. Ives products from Best Ladies Beauty Shop, where one suspect, Brian Ouya, was arrested and is assisting the police with further investigations,” DCI stated.
During the operation, the sleuths also seized PVC-U tins and soda flakes suspected to be uncustomed.
“The Multi-agency team also conducted searches in various emporiums among them Western Emporium Shop along Oginga Odinga Road where PVC-U tins and soda flakes suspected to be uncustomed were seized. Abdulrehman Mohamed Yasheen, the shop owner, was arrested in connection with the seized goods,” DCI added.
Along the Kisumu-Kakamega Road sleuths recovered various suspected uncustomed goods, including Kamagra tablets and oral jelly.
“Later in the day, the team conducted another search at Leo Chemist along Kisumu-Kakamega Road, where they found various uncustomed goods, including Kamagra tablets and oral jelly,” DCI added.
More goods seized
Four more suspects were arrested at a chemist at Taff Mall Kisumu where significant quantities of Kamagra products were seized.
“At Victoria Healthcare Chemist located at Taff Mall Kisumu, significant quantities of Kamagra products were seized where four suspects namely Bhavesh Kardan, Dennis Akunga, Bernard Otieno, and Nirmal Patel were arrested,” DCI added.
Operation Usalama is the brainchild of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation (EAPCCO), a regional police body whose membership consists of Chiefs of Police of the 14 countries and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO) which is principally responsible for the prevention and combating of cross-border and transnational organised crìmes.
“The operation was necessitated as a result of the recognition by the chiefs of police of both regions of the threats posed by transnational crimes including motor vehicle theft, trafficking in persons (TIP)/smuggling of migrants (SOM), proliferation of small and light arms, fugitive tracking, smuggling of minerals, counterfeit and illicit goods and the need to co-operate in the fight against cross- border and transnational crìmes that afflict the two regions,” the sleuths added.
“The two regional bodies have in the past successfully organized five simultaneous operations code-named USALAMA I-IX in both regions in 2013-2023 in the fight against transnational crìmes within the two regions.”
