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Details of police strategy to pounce on wanted billionaire drug trafficking suspect

Authors:

Charles Ouma

The best laid plans

File image of Police monitoring cargo at JKIA

Details have emerged of an elaborate plan by the police to pounce on wanted billionaire drug trafficking suspect Ali Punjani as soon as he jets into the country.

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Nation reports that the businessman at the center of drug trafficking allegations and who is currently in India for treatment is expected to jet back through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at around 10:20 AM on Monday morning.

His connecting flight to Mombasa is scheduled to leave JKIA at 1:30 PM and touch down at Mombasa an hour later.

Confirming the impending arrest, Mombasa police boss Johnston Ipara disclosed that police will be camping at the airport, ready to arrest him in connection with the drug trafficking allegations.

“We will arrest him the minute he gets into the country. We want him to come and explain to us where he got all his wealth.” Ipara said.

Ali Punjani
Ali Punjani Pulse Live Kenya

He also added that investigators will be keen to establish the immense source of wealth and assets whose records were recovered from Punjani’s house in Nyali during a police raid.

“We got a lot of cheques, title deeds and more than Sh63,000 from his house during our crackdown,” Ipara added.

Lavish lifestyle and featured in Akasha list of drug traffickers

A raid conducted by the police earlier this month at one of the homes owned by Punjani gave the public a rare insight the flamboyant life of the reclusive billionaire.

The 44 year old businessman known for his philanthropy lives large and is never shay to share his wealth, which going by recent allegations, could be proceeds of drug trafficking.

His bungalow in the leafy suburbs is the fortress from where operations in his vast empire are controlled with reports indicating that movers and shakers in Kenya’s political landscape frequent the place.

The Nyali home of Mombasa-based businessman Ali Punjani
The Nyali home of Mombasa-based businessman Ali Punjani Pulse Live Kenya

Mr Punjani was last month mentioned in a New York court by Indian national Vijaygiri Goswami, who has been charged in the foreign country alongside Baktash Akasha and Ibrahim Akasha over drugs trafficking.

In his allegations before the New York court, Mr Goswami described Mr Punjani as a rival drug lord of the Akasha in Mombasa.

Authors:

Charles Ouma

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