In a significant anti-narcotics operation in Kitengela town on Tuesday, police arrested five suspects in possession of cocaine with an estimated value of Sh22 million.
The narcotics were ingeniously concealed within empty juice packets, highlighting the creativity employed by drug traffickers.
During the operation, the police also seized various incriminating items, including packaging materials, weighing scales, documents related to assets, and bank account details associated with multiple banks where the suspects conducted their financial activities.
Additionally, the suspects were found in possession of Kenyan identification documents, which the authorities suspect may have been fraudulently obtained.
Among the arrested individuals, there was one Kenyan woman and four Tanzanians, consisting of three men and one woman.
The Kenyan woman was apprehended at her residence, while the four Tanzanians were caught at an Airbnb location, allegedly in the process of packaging the cocaine.
On Thursday, the suspects were presented before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts and subsequently charged with drug trafficking.
They were all denied bail as the prosecution sought an additional 10 days to conclude investigations, including determining the origins of the seized documents.
Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, emphasized that these arrests were part of an ongoing operation aimed at combating drug traffickers operating within the country. Amin stated, “We have intensified the war against marauding drug traffickers keen on making quick financial gain while ruining the lives of many. We will get them all.”
In a separate incident, law enforcement had previously apprehended a couple in Umoja, Nairobi, recovering two kilograms of cocaine valued at Sh12 million from them. The narcotics had been cleverly concealed within African artifacts to evade detection during transportation.
According to police sources, the male suspect operates from Kampala and arrived in Kenya on August 27, 2023, via the Busia border.
He disclosed to the authorities that he is part of a community of Nigerians in Kampala engaged in church ministries.
Police investigations have revealed that many local drug dealers source their cocaine from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The illicit consignments are then shipped using various courier services through a complex route that includes Mahe Island in Seychelles, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Bujumbura in Burundi.
Upon reaching Burundi, the narcotics are dispatched to regional and global markets, including Uganda, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, India, and the United States of America (specifically New York), using courier services and individuals acting as couriers (mules).
Members of this criminal syndicate maintain multiple bank accounts to facilitate various aspects of their illicit trade, such as ticketing, visa payments, hotel bookings, and freight fees.
Authorities note that a significant portion of narcotics entering the country, primarily from Kampala and Ethiopia, are destined for onward transmission to Europe through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
A comprehensive operation is currently underway to target both the mules involved in drug transportation and the masterminds behind this illegal trade network.
