Two suspects have been arrested after police intercepted a vehicle transporting uncustomed sugar allegedly smuggled into Kenya through an ungazetted border route along the Kenya-Uganda border.

The suspects were arrested by officers from Busia Police Station during a patrol in Busia Township.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) identified the suspects as Abdi Ahmed, 31, and Said Mustafa, 24.

The officers reportedly flagged down their Toyota Probox, registration number KDJ 561V, at the Velasco area.

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 30 bags of sugar, each weighing 50 kilogrammes.

The DCI said the sugar had allegedly been brought into the country through an unmanned entry point instead of a designated border crossing, thereby bypassing customs controls and taxation.

The vehicle and the consignment were taken to Busia Police Station and booked as exhibits.

The two suspects are being processed and are expected to be arraigned in court as investigations continue.

“The seizure comes as officers intensify patrols along the border points exploited by smugglers to bypass taxation, part of the National Police Service’s wider crackdown on economic crimes that continue to bleed the country of much-needed revenue,” the DCI said.