Bhang worth Sh15m found, suspect nabbed

By PAUL GITAU

Police have arrested one person and recovered five sacks of bhang whose street value is estimated at Sh15 million in Malindi, Kilifi County.

The police said the bhang was ferried in a saloon car by three people, but two of them were able to escape the police dragnet.

Malindi Sub County Deputy Commander, Chief Inspector Fred Mwangi, said the consignment was nabbed by Administration Police after they received a tip-off from members of the public.

Police were alert that a Pajero had offloaded sacks of bhang at a home in Muyeye area within Malindi. I mobilised officers and we raided the house where we found the drug,” Mwangi said.

He identified the arrested suspect as Devota Mariati, a woman who residents say is a notorious drug trafficker.

Mwangi said police are still on the trail of the two men who escaped, adding that they expect the three suspects to provide vital information that will help in unraveling the cartel behind the trade in the area.

“Mariati’s accomplices escaped through the back door as police were forcing their way into the house but we are pursuing them,” he said.

Mwangi said investigations have revealed that the drugs came through Taita Taveta County into Malindi, adding that it is not clear how the peddlers managed to by-pass police roadblocks undetected.

Malindi has been cited as a transit route for drug traffickers as illicit drugs find their way from the country and neighbouring Tanzania to other parts of the world through unmanned landing sites.

Recently, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi called on the national government to set up a coast guard to deal with the issue of drugs gaining access into or out of the country through sites along the country’s coast.

Police reports indicate that huge volumes of bhang coming into Malindi are from Tanzania and get into the country via the expansive Taita Taveta border.