MOMBASA, Kenya — Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested two suspected drug traffickers in Mombasa and seized heroin valued at more than Sh4 million following a coordinated anti-narcotics operation.
The suspects were arrested in Utange area, Kisauni Sub-County, where officers uncovered a significant cache of heroin concealed inside a residential compound.
In a statement issued on Friday, January 23, the DCI said the operation was carried out by detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU), working alongside officers from Kiembeni Police Station.
According to investigators, the raid led to the arrest of Tawaida Ali Said and Shamim Abubakar, who are believed to be part of an organised drug distribution network operating in the coastal city.
During a search of the premises, detectives recovered numerous sachets of heroin spread across two bedrooms.
Officers also discovered an additional package of the narcotic buried within the compound, a move investigators believe was intended to evade detection.
By the end of the operation, police had seized 1,346 grams of heroin, with an estimated street value of Sh4,092,000.
Detectives also recovered a digital weighing machine and a drying machine, items police say point to an established and ongoing drug trafficking operation.
“The long arm of the law has caught up with two drug peddlers after hawk-eyed detectives swooped in and netted heroin worth over Sh4 million in Utange, Mombasa County,” the DCI said.
The two suspects are currently being held in custody as investigations continue ahead of their arraignment in court.
The arrests come just a week after detectives in Nakuru arrested a 42-year-old man, identified as Ephantus Kariuki Mwangi, who was found in possession of 397 grams of heroin worth Sh1.19 million.
Mwangi was intercepted while riding a motorcycle, with the drugs concealed inside his luggage.
Police also recovered syringes, needles, ten rolls of bhang and three packets of cigarettes during the operation. He was later arraigned in court.
The DCI says the latest arrests underscore ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to disrupt drug trafficking networks and curb the distribution of narcotics across the country.
