As the fight against siphoning and the illicit trade in siphoned fuel heightens with a view to curb the sale and distribution of adulterated fuel, police raided a site off Kangundo Road, Nairobi, and seized thousands of liters of siphoned fuel.
The crackdown on Thursday, May 9 by the Operations Support Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation also saw a trailer, two fuel tankers, generators fitted with hosepipes, funnels, 20l jerrycans, and several tanks containing unestablished amounts of siphoned fuel confiscated.
Acting on a tip-off by a concerned member of the public on a notable spillage and the impunity with which the illegal business operated just next to a supermarket and an open-air market along KCC Road, the officers moved into the compound that was concealed by a temporary iron sheet fence.
According to police, the well-organized criminal syndicate involved in the illegal operations got wind of police presence through their informers and, locking the main entrance from within, secured enough time to hole up through an illegal route thus evading arrest.
After preliminary investigations, detectives believe that the business operators are linked to the April 12, 2024 raid conducted behind Shell petrol station off Lunga Lunga Road in Nairobi where 41 suspects were rounded up and charged, but the five tankers found at the site later released through a court order.
CRACKDOWN ON SIPHONING RINGS
As the fight against siphoning and the illicit trade in siphoned fuel heightens with a view to curb the sale and distribution of adulterated fuel, the DCI raided a site off Kangundo Road yesterday and seized thousands of litres of siphoned fuel. pic.twitter.com/bZ3068X8wn
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) May 10, 2024
Police said the raid is part of ongoing operations on illegal business in the industry, as they contribute pragmatically to the prevention of loss of lives through unfortunate cases of infernos such as the dreadful February 1 Embakasi gas explosion which killed 10 people and displaced many.
The DCI wants all stakeholders including licensed distributors and government agencies to commit to multi-agency undertakings in an effort to pool forces that will break the organized criminal rings.
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