Police in Subukia are pursuing two suspects who escaped arrest after abandoning a vehicle suspected to have been ferrying illicit ethanol in the area.

According to Subukia Sub-County Police Commander Samuel Kinoti Mugambi, the suspects fled after police officers intercepted a black Toyota Isis, registration number KDV 976K, which was allegedly transporting about 18- 25-litre jerricans of ethanol through Subukia.

According to Kinoti, the operation was triggered by information from members of the public who alerted police after the vehicle was involved in an accident while travelling from Solai through Kiboronjo to Subukia, allegedly on its way to Meru.

A white Mazda impounded by Subukia police and detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) packed with large bundles wrapped in green sacks and sisal twine, parked on a dirt track beside a maize field.seven sacks containing 154 kilograms of cannabis sativa with an estimated street value of Sh 4.62 million.

Photo credit: COURTESY

The occupants were reportedly travelling to Meru for dowry negotiations, according to information shared with us. The vehicle was intercepted and the ethanol recovered, but the suspects managed to escape before they could be arrested. We are actively pursuing them, and investigations are ongoing,” says Kinoti, adding that the vehicle and its contents have been detained pending investigations.

This operation comes barely a day after Subukia police alongside detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) intercepted a major cannabis haul valued at approximately Sh 4.62 million in Nakuru.

According to Kinoti, the vehicle registration number KDX 264K was coming from Nakuru through Subukia and was headed to Nyahururu before the police seized it alongside two occupants, a man and a woman.

Additional information from the official Facebook page of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) notes that detectives received intelligence that the vehicle was being used to transport a large consignment of cannabis along the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway.

Officers laid an ambush before spotting the vehicle and signaling the driver to stop. However, the driver allegedly ignored the order and sped off, triggering a high-speed chase towards the Subukia area.

A black and blue jerricans, recovered from vehicle ferrying illicit ethanol in Subukia. According to police, they are pursuing two suspects who escaped arrest.

Photo credit: COURTESY

Detectives eventually immobilized the vehicle after deflating one of its front tyres, forcing it to stop, and two suspects, identified as David Wafula and Loise Akoth, were arrested at the scene.

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of seven sacks containing 154 kilograms of cannabis sativa with an estimated street value of Sh 4.62 million.

The suspects remain in police custody pending arraignment, while the narcotics have been retained as exhibits.

Kinoti notes that Subukia's location along a major transport corridor has made it a target for traffickers moving illicit alcohol and narcotics, prompting heightened surveillance and enforcement operations by security agencies.

He warns individuals engaged in the illegal trade that security agencies have intensified operations along key transit routes and would continue targeting suppliers, transporters and distributors operating within the region.

Two suspects flee ethanol laden vehicle to evade Police arrest in Subukia

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Leleti Jassor