The Kenyan government on Friday repatriated four of twenty-one stolen vehicles that it had seized after finding their way to Kenya from the United Kingdom and Belgium through the port of Mombasa. Two vehicles, a Range Rover Sport and a BMW X5, were successfully shipped back to the UK back in June 2019.
The multi-agency operation was conducted by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Kenya Ports Authority (KRA) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), with support from INTERPOL and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency through the British High Commission in Nairobi. The return of the luxury vehicles follows months of heightened surveillance and enforcement measures at all ports of entry.
These were conducted in a bid to crackdown on an international criminal syndicate involved in the theft and resale of high-value vehicles originating in Europe and destined for the East African market. According to manifest information, all twenty-one vehicles were to transit through Kenya and travel onwards to other destinations in East Africa.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, the Kenyan government agencies said that in returning the vehicles, it wished to send a strong message to criminal networks in East Africa and beyond, that the port of Mombasa would not be used as a conduit for illicit trade.