Sh3.6bn Kwale drug haul was bound for South Africa from Pakistan, says DCI

DCI boss Mohamed Amin and security agents view the 454 kg narcotics worth Sh3.6 billion at the Regional headquarter in Mombasa on November. 9, 2026. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

The 454-kilogramme drug haul worth Sh3.6 billion seized by police in Kwale over the weekend was headed for South Africa after entering Kenya from Pakistan, Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin has said.

Mr Amin said the consignment was not part of the Sh8.2 billion haul seized from the vessel MV Mashallah, which he said came from Iran. “The drug in question is not part of the Sh8.2 billion which came from Iran, while this one is from Pakistan, which has different suspects,” he said.

He said police arrested Baseleman Saleh Khamis, a suspected drug baron wanted in both Kenya and Tanzania. Also held are a Ugandan woman, Nakabugo Zuraicah, 37, and a Tanzanian, Hamad Seif Said, 54. They were expected to appear in court on Monday, where police were seeking 21 days to complete investigations.

On Monday, a Mombasa court has allowed Anti Narcotic Police to detain three suspected drug trafficker for 15 to enable them to complete investigation. The suspects were ordered to be detain  for 15 days by Mombasa Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo.

Mr Amin, who was accompanied by Coast Regional Police Commander Ali Nunow, said detectives were following leads that could result in more arrests. “We are following some leads which could result in more suspects being arrested as we fight against the maritime drug menace in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

Officers also seized two Ford vehicles, a station wagon registration KDY 626Z and a pick-up KDZ 201A, and a red motorbike. The seizure follows the interception of 1,036 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth Sh8.2 billion on MV Mashallah in the Indian Ocean, the largest drug haul recorded in the country.

Mr Amin said the government had declared the fight against narcotics and illicit alcohol a national security priority. The former Anti-Narcotics Unit has been transformed into the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB), which has opened 40 additional stations and trained 314 officers at the National Criminal Investigations Academy in Nairobi.

Between January and October 2026, NANIB recovered 21,005.54 kilogrammes of cannabis worth Sh630.2 million, 10.23 kilogrammes of cocaine worth Sh40.9 million, 7.74 kilogrammes of heroin worth Sh23.2 million, 7.67 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth Sh61.4 million and 4.8 kilogrammes of amphetamine worth Sh24 million. The total value was Sh779.7 million, and 1,631 suspects were arrested.

There have been convictions too. In Iten, a man was fined Sh24 million or 10 years in jail for trafficking 266.2 kilogrammes of cannabis worth Sh7.99 million. The High Court recently upheld sentences against three people convicted at the JKIA court in 2025 over 871.8 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at Sh26.2 million.

“We are equally pursuing the financial networks behind the drug trade,” Mr Amin said. Working with the Asset Recovery Agency, NANIB is tracing cash, vehicles, houses, land and businesses. “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 NANIB works with NACADA, county governments, customs and border agencies, the Judiciary and the ODPP, and credited regular intelligence sharing with East African countries. His role as Africa’s delegate on the INTERPOL Executive Committee, he added, has strengthened Kenya’s global links.

“We remain resolute in pursuing the syndicates, their financiers and accomplices to ensure that all those involved in this illicit trade are brought to justice,” he said. Kenya, he said, would not be allowed to serve as a transit route, a destination market or a safe haven for traffickers.