Police Intercept Uncustomed Goods in Garbatulla, One Suspect Arrested

 

Police in Garbatulla have recovered a consignment of uncustomed goods during a dawn patrol operation along the strategic LAPSSET corridor, dealing a fresh blow to smuggling activities in the region.

According to a police report, officers from Garbatulla Police Station were conducting routine surveillance in the early hours of Friday when they intercepted a suspicious vehicle along the Kinna–Garbatulla road. The vehicle, whose driver attempted to evade the officers, veered off the road and landed in a ditch.

Upon searching the vehicle, police recovered 52 bags of sugar, each weighing 25 kilograms, and nine cartons of spaghetti. The goods are believed to have been smuggled into the country without paying the necessary customs duties.

The vehicle was towed to Garbatulla Police Station, and one suspect was taken into custody. Authorities say investigations are ongoing to establish the origin of the goods and whether the suspect is part of a wider smuggling network operating in the area.

The National Police Service (NPS) has reiterated its commitment to combating smuggling and other economic crimes that threaten national revenue collection and internal security.

“This operation underscores our determination to secure key economic corridors and clamp down on activities that undermine Kenya’s economic integrity,” said a senior police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The LAPSSET corridor, which connects Kenya to Ethiopia and South Sudan, has increasingly become a hotspot for cross-border smuggling due to its strategic location and expanding infrastructure.