Police in Kisumu have seized 395 litres of suspected illicit brew in an operation at Nyalenda’s Maembe Tatu area.
A 42-year-old woman who is the main suspect was arrested in the operation, which police have described as a major breakthrough in the crackdown on illegal alcohol and psychotropic substances.
Kisumu Central Sub-County Police Commander Edward Ndirangu said the operation was carried out on Monday evening at about 6.30pm by a multi-agency team acting on intelligence from an informer.
The team, he said, was led by the Kisumu County Police Commander and comprised officers from the County Criminal Investigations Office (CCIO), the Divisional Criminal Investigations Office (DCIO) Kisumu Central, the Sub-County Police Commander Kisumu Central, and officers in charge of stations at Migosi and Nyalenda.
The officers raided the dwelling house of Linet Achieng Odhiambo, also known as Min Sharon, at the Maembe Tatu area in the sprawling Nyalenda slums where the illicit brew was impounded.
According to Ndirangu, the suspect locked herself inside the house upon the officers’ arrival and refused to open the door for several hours.
“The suspect locked herself inside the house and declined to open until about 7.30pm when she finally complied,” he said.
A search conducted in the house led to the recovery of 143 sachets packed in clear plastic polythene bags, each containing approximately two litres of liquid suspected to be chang’aa.
Police also recovered one plastic container containing 2.75 litres of the suspected illicit brew.
Ndirangu said the total volume of the recovered substance was 395 litres.
“The exhibits were recovered from different parts of the house, namely the kitchen area, the store, the ceiling and under the sofa set seats,” he said, adding that the concealment pointed to deliberate efforts to evade detection.
Scenes of Crime personnel documented the scene before the suspect was arrested and placed in police custody.
The police boss said the woman was being held pending arraignment in court on Wednesday for the offence of being in possession of illicit brew, namely chang’aa.
He added that the operation forms part of an ongoing crackdown on illicit brew and psychotropic substances in Kisumu Central Sub-County, warning those involved in the trade that police will intensify surveillance and enforcement.
by Chris Mahandara
