Kenyan police have seized 454 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at an estimated 27 million dollars in an operation targeting international drug trafficking networks.
Three suspects, two Tanzanians and a Ugandan, were arrested along Kenya’s coast following an intelligence-led operation involving anti-narcotics officers from Kenya and Tanzania.
Police said investigations began after a key suspect was arrested in Tanzania last week and handed over to Kenyan authorities at the border.
The suspect, who was allegedly linked to an earlier seizure of 299 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine and heroin in Tanzania, reportedly led investigators to a location in Msambweni on Kenya’s coast, where the latest consignment was discovered.
Officers subsequently made further arrests and seized two vehicles and a motorcycle.
Tanzania’s Drug Control and Enforcement Authority Director, Aretas Lyimo, said preliminary investigations suggested that the drugs intercepted in Tanzania had entered through Kenya’s Mombasa port.
He added that investigations had uncovered links to an international drug trafficking network operating across several countries, including Afghanistan, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates.
A total of seven suspects, comprising five Tanzanians and two Ugandans, were arrested across the two countries.
The four suspects arrested in Kenya remain in custody and are expected to be arraigned in court, while investigations continue.
The seizure is among the largest recorded in Kenya's history and comes amid growing concerns over drug trafficking and substance abuse in East Africa.
Last month, Kenya’s Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, identified illicit alcohol and drug abuse as major threats to the country, warning of tougher laws and intensified nationwide operations.
In a separate operation, Kenyan authorities also destroyed more than a tonne of methamphetamine intercepted by the navy last year off the Mombasa coast.
