NAIROBI, Kenya- A Pakistan-to-East and Southern Africa drug route has emerged in investigations into the Sh3.6 billion suspected methamphetamine haul recovered in Kwale County, giving the case a new cross-border dimension days after the seizure was first reported.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations Director Mohamed Amin said preliminary investigations indicate the 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine originated in Pakistan and were intended for markets in East and Southern Africa.
The disclosure shifts attention from the size of the recovery to the suspected international network behind it, including the financiers, transport channels and distribution links detectives are now pursuing.
Amin said the recovery followed intelligence-sharing between Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities, which led officers to Shirazi and Ganja la Simba villages in Kwale’s Msambweni area.
Three suspects are in custody after the operation: Basleman Saleh Khamis, whom detectives say was wanted in Kenya and Tanzania over suspected narcotics trafficking; Ugandan national Nakabugo Zuraicah; and Tanzanian national Hamad Seif Said.
Separate from record Indian Ocean seizure
Amin said the Kwale consignment is not linked to the 1,036 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine recovered from the MV Mashaallah in the Indian Ocean last year.
According to the DCI, the two seizures involve separate trafficking networks and different countries of origin, with preliminary investigations linking the Kwale consignment to Pakistan while the earlier Indian Ocean haul was traced to Iran.
That distinction places the latest recovery within a broader regional fight against transnational drug networks using both maritime and land routes across East Africa.
Detectives also seized two Ford vehicles and a TVS motorcycle during the Kwale operation.
The DCI says the investigations will seek to establish how the suspected drugs entered Kenya, identify intended distribution routes and trace people financing the operation.
Court grants investigators 15 days
The three suspects have since been detained for 15 days after prosecutors sought more time to complete investigations into the suspected trafficking network.
Investigators told the court that the recovered substance is still awaiting weighing, sampling and analysis by the Government Analyst.
They also want to carry out forensic examinations on electronic devices recovered during the operation and verify seized travel and identification documents.
The case is scheduled for mention on November 24.
Amin said the investigation will not stop at arrests and drug recoveries, stressing that detectives are working with the Asset Recovery Agency and other agencies to identify cash, vehicles, land, houses and businesses suspected to be linked to narcotics proceeds.
“Our focus is not only on apprehending couriers but also on identifying and pursuing the financiers and organisers who sustain these criminal enterprises,” he said.
Expanded anti-narcotics push
The Kwale operation comes as the DCI expands the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau, formerly the Anti-Narcotics Unit, in a wider campaign against narcotics and illicit alcohol.
Amin said 208 officers were recruited into the bureau in April, 40 additional stations established, and 314 officers trained in anti-narcotics investigations at the National Criminal Investigations Academy.
Between January and October, NANIB recorded the arrest of 1,631 suspects and drug recoveries valued at about Sh779.6 million, separate from the major Kwale and MV Mashaallah seizures.
The DCI director said Kenya’s collaboration with Tanzania and other East African law-enforcement agencies had proved central to the latest breakthrough, adding that the country would not be allowed to become a transit route, destination market or safe haven for drug traffickers.
