7 Ethiopians set for S. Africa arrested in human trafficking swoop

Police in Changamwe, Mombasa County, are holding seven Ethiopian men whom they believe were being trafficked to South Africa.

The foreigners were arrested on Friday at a hideout in Jomvu after alighting from a container.

“We carried out the operation following information from the public that suspicious people were being dropped from a container at Mwamulai near the AVA Factory,” Changamwe divisional police commander Peter Omanwa said.

Mr Onamwa said that on interrogation, the men admitted that they were on the way to South Africa.

He said they will taken to court on Monday amid a search for the traffickers and the truck they had been using.

The police boss also reported that they apprehended a person notorious for stealing goods on transit and found a container with meat chopping machines.

He asked people who lost their goods in Mombasa, Mariakani and Voi to go to Changamwe Police station for checks.

The suspect was also found with several SIM and identification cards, which police said were used in the crime.

He said the value of the goods on transit was yet to be established and that the suspect will be arraigned on Tuesday.