The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested a Nairobi-based advocate suspected of facilitating a scam in which a Canadian investor lost USD 618,000 (Sh80.34 million) in a bogus gold consignment deal.

The move is part of efforts to crack down on a transnational gold fraud network accused of swindling foreign investors through sophisticated fake export schemes.

According to investigators, the victim was lured with an offer of 250 kilograms of gold allegedly bound for Dubai on a private jet.

On April 15, 2025, a Proforma Invoice worth USD 318,400 (Sh41.39 million) was issued by a company linked to the scheme, prompting the investor to transfer the funds into the lawyer’s law firm account.

"The victim was later instructed to send a further USDT 300,000 (Sh39 million) to a cryptocurrency wallet. No shipment ever materialized," said the DCI.

The lawyer’s arrest comes just days after the DCI detained a Cameroonian national believed to be the syndicate’s ringleader. The suspect was arraigned at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court on July 31, 2025.

In a separate but related case, a Congolese national was presented before the Milimani Law Courts over a similar fraudulent transaction targeting a Gabonese investor.

Detectives secured a seven-day custodial order to complete investigations, with the matter scheduled for mention on August 13, 2025.

Another suspect, said to be the director of a company used in the scam, has also been arrested.

He is accused of hosting negotiations for a fake deal in which a complainant wired USD 140,000 (Sh18.2 million) into an escrow account under the guise of securing a gold shipment.

All the suspects are currently in custody as investigators work to piece together the full scope of the syndicate’s operations.

The DCI has vowed to dismantle the intricate criminal network, warning that it will continue to track down individuals exploiting Kenya’s gold trade to orchestrate high-value fraud targeting international clients.