DCI recovers Sh3.6bn drugs in Kwale, arrests three suspects

NAIROBI,Kenya Nov 9 – Detectives have seized 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine worth an estimated Sh3.6 billion in Kwale County, arresting three suspects, including a Kenyan-Tanzanian fugitive described by investigators as a notorious drug baron.

The seizure followed an intelligence-led operation involving Kenyan and Tanzanian security agencies, which culminated in the arrest of the suspects in Shirazi and Kinondo areas of Kwale County.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohamed Amin said the operation began on November 7, 2026, when detectives arrested Basleman Saleh Khamis, who is wanted in both Kenya and Tanzania over suspected involvement in narcotics trafficking.

A Ugandan woman, Nakabugo Zuraicah, 37, was also arrested during the operation in Shirazi village.

Further investigations led detectives to Ganja la Simba village in Kinondo, where a targeted search uncovered the consignment of suspected methamphetamine and resulted in the arrest of a third suspect, Hamad Seif Said, a 54-year-old Tanzanian national.

The operation also saw detectives seize two motor vehicles and a motorcycle believed to be linked to the suspected trafficking network.

The vehicles were identified as a white Ford station wagon, registration number KDY 626Z, and a white Ford pickup, registration number KDZ 201A. Detectives also impounded a red TVS motorcycle, registration number KMGT 230A.

Amin said the three suspects remained in custody as investigators pursued additional leads to establish the extent of the trafficking network and identify other people involved.

The seizure adds to a series of major narcotics interceptions along Kenya’s coastline and comes weeks after authorities destroyed more than one tonne of methamphetamine recovered from a vessel in the Indian Ocean.

The combined value of the recoveries stood at Sh779.6 million, with 1,631 suspects arrested during the period.

Beyond the seizures, investigators are pursuing convictions and targeting the financial networks supporting the illegal trade.

In Iten, a drug trafficking suspect was sentenced to pay a Sh24 million fine or serve 10 years in prison after being convicted over the trafficking of 266.2 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at Sh7.9 million.

In another case, the High Court upheld the sentences imposed on three people convicted in 2025 by the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport court for trafficking 871.8 kilogrammes of cannabis.

The DCI said it was also working with the Asset Recovery Agency to identify and trace proceeds of drug trafficking, including cash, vehicles, houses, land and businesses.

Amin said the focus was shifting beyond arresting couriers to pursuing the financiers and organisers behind the trafficking networks.

“We are not only targeting those transporting drugs but also the financiers and organisers who sustain these criminal enterprises,” he said.

He called on members of the public to share information with law enforcement agencies, saying community cooperation remained critical in identifying and dismantling drug trafficking networks.