Three suspects nabbed with illegal sugar to be detained for 10 days

Three suspects, who were arrested in Eastleigh, Nairobi with sugar labeled unfit for human consumption will spend a further 10 days in police remand to allow police time to intensify and complete investigations.

The three – Dahir Ahmed Hassan, Mohammed Dahir and Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed – who are believed to be directors of a sugar company were found repackaging 1, 474 bags of Brazillian Raw Sugar into various local sugar company packaging bags despite the sugar being indicated as not fit for direct human consumption.

Delivering the ruling, Nairobi Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku noted that the case was unique and involved a fast selling commodity which is on demand and highly consumed by humans, hence risking human life.

The magistrate further noted the police averment that they need to trace places where the commodity has been supplied so as to recall it will need cooperation and presence of the respondents.

In an affidavit by an investigating officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the suspects were arrested on June 5, 2018 at Eastleigh Section (iii) and booked at Shauri Moyo Police Station on the same day.

The investigating officer stated that, during the arrest, the suspects were found repackaging 1, 474 bags of Brazillian Raw Sugar into various local sugar company packaging bags despite the sugar being indicated as not fit for direct human consumption

He also added that the investigations were being carried out by a multi-agency team including Counterfeit Agency, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Government Chemist and office of the Director of Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

The court heard that most of these agencies require time for sampling and conducting analysis on the contraband sugar found in the respondents’ possession.

According to the officer, the suspects could have supplied the sugar to various markets all over the country hence it was necessary to carry out further investigations.

He said they were expanding the investigations to the port of Mombasa to authenticate the provided import documents and also visit the local sugar companies all over the country whose packaging bags were found being used by the respondents.

“Identification documents produced by the respondents are also suspected to be fake and therefore a search on the same at the National Registration Bureau is necessary to ascertain the respondents’ identity,” said the investigating officer.

Samson Nyamberi, the suspects’ lawyer, opposed an application by the prosecution to have them detained for 21 days saying there wasn’t enough evidence.

The police had asked for 21 days to detain the respondents but only secured 10 days.

The case will be mentioned on June 20, 2018.