Police seized 864.9 kilograms of bhang valued at Sh25.4 million and arrested one suspect during an operation in Mombasa’s Kadzadani area on Friday.
According to a police report, the operation was carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) around noon.
“While on patrol, officers from Kadzandani received reliable information about a drug trafficker in the Green estate of Kiembeni. They acted quickly, identifying the trafficker’s residence,” the report stated.
After gaining entry and conducting a search, officers discovered 16 sacks of dry plant material suspected to be cannabis. They arrested the trafficker’s wife, who is currently assisting with the investigation.
“The seized drugs were weighed, totaling 864.9 kg, with an estimated market value of Sh25,407,000.”
Recent days have seen a spike in cannabis seizures nationwide, indicating either increased trafficking or enhanced surveillance efforts.
In the past 25 days, nearly ten separate seizures have been reported across the country. In many cases, suspects were caught trying to transport the drugs using public transport.
In the latest incident on Thursday, police in Lodwar seized bhang worth Sh50,000 disguised as fish for transport to Kitale at a local bus station.
On September 9, Customs officials at the Malaba One Stop Border Post in Busia intercepted 520 rolls of bhang with an estimated street value of Sh520,000.
Just a day earlier, DCI detectives seized 17.5 kg of bhang after a suspect fled while attempting to transport the drugs from Siaya to Mombasa.
The suspect had planned to ship the consignment via a courier service but became apprehensive when the agent began inspecting the suspicious package concealed in a nylon sack.
A week prior, on September 3, detectives in Busia arrested two suspects, including a 17-year-old minor, at a roadblock, recovering bhang worth Sh320,000 from their vehicle.
On August 26, police in Busia seized 17 kg of bhang and arrested another suspected trafficker.
That same day, detectives recovered narcotics valued at over Sh3 million in three separate incidents.
Along the Migori-Sirare highway, a motorcycle rider carrying two bags of marijuana weighing 73.6 kg, worth approximately Sh2,208,000, was intercepted.
In another incident along the Nambale-Busia road, officers stopped a vehicle and found 350 rolls of bhang weighing 22 kg, with an estimated street value of Sh660,000.
In the third incident on the Mai Mahiu-Nairobi road, officers seized 19 packages of cannabis from a motor vehicle.
