Puzzle of Sh8.2 billion drugs seized by Kenyan authorities: Here’s what we know

Kenya has made one of the biggest drugs bust in East Africa, seizing a consignment of methamphetamine valued at over Sh.8.2 billion.

The consignment was seized in a stateless vessel christened "Mash Allah" which was intercepted in the Indian Ocean off the port of Mombasa.

How the drugs bust unfolded

Kenyan security agencies received credible intelligence from regional and international partners on the suspicious vessel and relayed the information to the Kenya navy.

The boat was tracked 630 kilometers east of Mombasa with security agencies having it on their radar and tracking its suspicious movements.

A multi-agency team was assembled to track and intercept the suspicious boat and bring it to the port of Mombasa.

The multi-agency team comprised of the Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard, and NACADA launched a sting operation in the Indian Ocean, intercepting the vessel and escorting it to the port of Mombasa.

“Kenya Navy was able to intercept this suspicious vessel about 630 km 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.” Deputy Commander of the Kenya Navy, Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa explained.

Court order, quantity of the drugs & street value

Police obtained a court warrant to conduct a search on the boat and verify the consignment that was stashed in sacks.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohammed Amin revealed that a search on the boat saw officers recover 769 packages of crystalline substance weighing 1024 kilograms with tests coming out positive for methamphetamine.

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 Ksh.8.2 billion, equivalent to USD 63 million.

6 Iranian nationals arrested

The crew of six Iranian nationals (Jasem Darzadeh, Nadeem Jadgal, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Bakshi, and Imtiaz Daryayi) was arrested and are currently helping with investigations.

Detectives handling the matter are keen on establishing the origin and destination of the drug haul with DCI confirming that the vessel was stateless.

Investigations are also seeking to unmask drug barons and other operatives linked to the narcotics trade in the region and beyond.

The DCI boss believes that the consignment was to be smuggled into East Africa for sale.

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.

Kenyan authorities have been waging a relentless war against narcotics trade and drug trafficking with several arrests made in the recent past.