Nairobi — Customs officers foiled an attempt to smuggle out eight containers from the Mombasa port, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has said.

Public relations officer Haji Masemo confirmed a statement by a source that their security officers had been alerted that the containers were being smuggled out of the port before duty had been paid.

"The MD was tipped that eight containers were being cleared from the port without duty and he alerted security personnel who intercepted them," said the source, a KPA employee.

Eight containers that were being smuggled out of Mombasa port without duties being paid have been seized by Kenya Ports Authority security personnel, the Nation learnt yesterday.

A KPA employee told the Nation that the containers were intercepted while being cleared from the port following intervention by a senior KPA manager.

Mr Masemo said they had launched their own investigations.

"Initial investigations have established that a clearing and forwarding firm had written a letter claiming that the goods had left the port but they were intercepted by customs officials before attempting to release them without paying duty," he said.

Police investigations have unearthed a cargo theft syndicate at the port that has resulted in claims by importers worth millions of shillings.

A special CID team from headquarters in Nairobi that has been investigating the cargo theft said they had established the thefts to be the work of a syndicate masterminded by certain importers.

"What we have discovered is that some of the importers lodge two sets of cargo clearance documents which they use to fraudulently release the goods," a member of the investigating team said.

The police officer said that after fraudulently releasing the goods, the importers then lodged claims with the KPA that their goods had been stolen.