Man arrested as police recover 17K litres of diesel in his homestead
Police officers have arrested a man and recovered 17,000 litres of diesel and another 1,360 litres of petrol in his homestead.
The man, who resides in the Port Reitz area of Mombasa County, was arrested in a joint operation bringing together the operations support unit from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the coast regional police commander and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
“The National Police Service (NPS), in collaboration with the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), has intensified efforts to combat the illegal siphoning and storage of fuel. On Wednesday, 28 May 2025, a joint operation was conducted in the Port Reitz and Kenya Refinery areas of Mombasa, led by the Coast Regional Police Commander, Mr. Ali Nuno, AIG, and the EPRA Coast Region Manager, Francis Keri,” police said in a statement on Thursday, May 29, 2025.
Arraigned in court
“During the operation, one suspect was arrested after officers discovered 17,000 litres of diesel and 1,360 litres of petrol stored illegally within his homestead in the Port Reitz area. “
According to the police, the man was arraigned in court on Thursday, May 29, 2025, while the confiscated fuel products were carted to the Port Police Station.
In another raid, detectives stormed an iron-sheet structure located by the roadside near the refinery and recovered an additional 1,000 litres of diesel. The owner of the second illegal storage facility was not present at the time of the raid and is currently being sought by authorities.
Police have warned members of the public against engaging in the unauthorised handling of fuel products.
“Unauthorised handling and storage of petroleum products not only breach national laws but also pose significant safety risks to individuals and the wider community,” the police said.
Fuel-siphoning syndicate
The arrest comes just one year after police busted a fuel syphoning ring along Kangundo Road on May 4, 2024, and recovered thousands of litres of assorted fuel products.
Before that, in April, police rounded up at least 41 people after they were found operating an illegal fuel yard next to the Shell Petrol station along Lunga Lunga Road.
During the raid, five tankers were discovered at the site, containing over 17,020 litres of diesel and 6,110 litres of petrol.
Police officers working in collaboration with officials from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) also confiscated four generators, 30 drums, siphoning pipes, and jerrycans.
Similarly, a Nissan Sunny car, carrying 50 litres of petrol, was also detained during the operation.
