Security agents in Ndaragwa, Nyandarua County have seized a consignment of illicit liquor manufactured on a large scale, in a homestead.
During the raid at Murereshwa village, 800 litres of suspected ethanol was also seized alongside counterfeit Kenya Revenue Authority stamps.
The multi-agency team comprising of the DCI, KRA and police officers swung into action after a tip off from the locals who suspected dubious activities in the enclosed compound.
Ndaragwa Deputy County Commissioner Walter Ngaira said the trader who was still at large, packaged the locally made liquor in her house, and is suspected to be a major distributor in major towns within Nyandarua and Laikipia counties.
He said that the manufacturer had taken advantage of the dry season in the area, to hide ethanol in hay stacks for transportation, making it hard for law enforcers to detect.
Empty recyclable bottles of various alcohol brands, alongside unmarked bottle tops, seals and stickers were also seized.
Nyandarua County Police Commander Omar Arero, while vowing to crackdown on all the illicit brew dens and rogue manufacturers, said the owner of the homestead was being pursued.
He regretted that the illicit liquor had infiltrated markets, threatening the lives of the consumers, especially in Ol Kalou, OlJororok and Mairo Inya townships.
The KRA officials regretted the revenue lost through the duplication of a single KRA stamp onto a roll that was used to authenticate the products, noting that stamps were not official.
Among the assorted drinks seized included
- 375 bottles of Santana Ice
- Mara Ice-75
- Diamond Ice-262
- Darling Ice
- Chrome Vodka
- Kibao
- Smart Vodka.
Other items recovered in the same house included:
- a capping machine
- assorted used and unused metallic bottle tops
- 10 bags of unlabeled 250ml plastic bottles.
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