Security teams intercepted a vessel in the Indian Ocean carrying methamphetamine worth over Sh8.2 billion and arrested six Iranian nationals on board.
Director of Directorate of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin and Kenya Navy Deputy Commander Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa confirmed that the boat was tracked some 630 kilometres east of Mombasa before being escorted to the port, where the seized substance tested positive for narcotics.
The six suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday as police intensify operations to track down more individuals connected to the drug trafficking network.
This latest seizure comes just two weeks after four suspects linked to an international drug syndicate were arrested for allegedly using JKIA to smuggle cocaine. The suspects were arraigned and remanded until October 29, when their case is set to be heard.
In what could be one of East Africa’s biggest drug busts in years, a multi-agency operation involving the Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard, and NACADA has seized methamphetamine worth Sh8.2 billion and arrested six Iranian nationals who were ferrying the consignment.
The vessel was seized after Kenyan security agencies received information from regional and international partners on the suspicious boat, which was on their radar making rounds in the western Indian Ocean.
Brigadier Kiswaa said the suspects are under probe.
“Kenya Navy was able to intercept this suspicious vessel about 630 kilometers east of Mombasa and we have been able to conduct this operation seamlessly and we were able to arrest it and escort it to the port of Mombasa.”
With the boat seized, police moved to court where they obtained orders to detain it and conduct a search to verify the content in the sacks.
Amin said the operation was a success.
“We were able to discover 769 packages of crystalline substance that was weighing 124,253 kilograms of what came out to be methamphetamine. The street value of the consignment is estimated to be Sh8.2 billion, equivalent to USD 63 million.”
Amin said the next phase of investigations will focus on the origin of the drugs and its destination, which they believe was to be sold in the East African region.
“It is too early for me to say the destination was point A or B, it is still under investigations. But certainly, it was destined somewhere in this region. And in terms of the source, like I said, the vessel was stateless, but on board were six Iranian nationals,” said Amin.
He said his team was on the ground pursuing leads on the destination of the narcotics.
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