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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A team from the Directorate of Crime Intelligence (DCI) in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) has recovered 218 coffee bags that were stolen in transit in November.
The coffee bags which were destined for Nakawa, in Kampala and later to be exported, had been bought from Kasese district. However, the truck was intercepted at Bwaise and ended up in Sanga, Matugga town council, in Wakiso district.
DCI was tasked to trace the illegal destination of the coffee valued at 470 million Shillings and investigations established that it was diverted by a group led by Juma Musisi aka Young Mandela alias Masape using vehicles UBE 151S and UAM 076N.
“First this coffee was offloaded from its truck UBE 355V and then loaded on other vehicles up to Luzira. They later transported it to Sanga, Matugga but the team has successfully tracked all the movement and recovered it,” a detective said.
The 218 coffee bags were found in the store belonging to Steven Bukenya.
During the operation that led to the recovery of the coffee bags, the security team found Bukenya’s wife Mariam Nankinga who said they just hired out the garage at 200,000 shillings.
“These people came looking for the store to temporarily keep their coffee and we told them the garage was available for a monthly fee of 200000 shillings. They accepted and paid the money but we did not at all think it was stolen coffee,” Nankinga said.
Patrick Onyango the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson said the recovered coffee has since been exhibited and transported to Kawempe police station where it is being guarded pending weighing and advice from the State Attorney on the next course of action.
“The coffee was diverted in transit and our investigations led to the arrest of some suspects who have already been charged in courts of law. We are looking for other suspects until the whole group involved in coffee theft is arrested,” Onyango said.
Juma Musisi was charged in Nabweru court but he escaped under unclear circumstances. Other suspects wanted by police include Allan Asiimwe, Kato Kiggundu, Joab Mucunguzi, and Saidi Kasule, alias Bogere.
The recovered coffee belongs to Agrievorve Uganda Limited, a company owned by Jonathan Rowland.
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