Intercepted a massive consignment of methamphetamine valued at approximately $27 million during a crackdown on cross-border narcotics networks.
The 454-kilogramme shipment was uncovered along the country’s coastal region through a joint intelligence operation involving Kenyan anti-drug personnel and security officials from Tanzania.
Three individuals, comprising two Tanzanian nationals and one Ugandan, were initially arrested in connection with the incident.
According to the police, the investigation followed the detention of a suspected trafficker in Tanzania last week, who was subsequently transferred to Kenyan authorities at the border.
The suspect, believed to have connections with an earlier recovery of 250 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine and cocaine in Tanzania, provided information that directed investigators to a property in Msambweni.
A subsequent search uncovered the illicit substances, while additional suspects were apprehended. Officers also confiscated two cars and a motorbike during the exercise.
Authorities later indicated that four suspects were being held pending their appearance before court, with the confiscated drugs and vehicles retained as evidence.
The security agencies have maintained that investigations are continuing and appealed to residents to provide credible intelligence to help dismantle organised drug networks.
The latest development comes amid growing concerns over substance abuse in Kenya.
Last month, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki identified illegal liquor and narcotics consumption as major dangers confronting the country’s future.
He also pledged stricter legislation and expanded security operations to curb the growing problem.
In another crackdown last month, Kenyan authorities disposed of more than one tonne of methamphetamine recovered from a shipment intercepted by the navy the previous year, approximately 630 kilometres off Mombasa.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Security Studies has highlighted an emerging trend in East Africa’s involvement in the global narcotics trade.
The research organisation noted that the region’s coastal territories are increasingly serving as destinations for locally consumed synthetic substances, rather than functioning solely as transit corridors for shipments destined for overseas markets.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong