- The narcotics were in empty juice packets.
- Items recovered were packaging materials, weighing scales, documents relating to assets, and bank account details of various banks the suspects operate.
Five suspects were on Tuesday arrested in a police anti-narcotics operation in Kitengela town with cocaine valued at Sh22 million.
The narcotics were in empty juice packets.
Items recovered were packaging materials, weighing scales, documents relating to assets, and bank account details of various banks the suspects operate.
They had Kenyan identification documents, which police believe were fraudulently obtained.
The five were a Kenyan woman Nancy Wanjiku Munyota and four Tanzanian nationals: Choba Abdalla Salum, Mohamed Kheri Kassim, Saad Salum Mnyuess, and Rose Paul Tito.
Munyota was arrested at her residence while the four Tanzanians were arrested at an Airbnb while packaging cocaine, police said.
The suspects were presented before Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law courts on Thursday, and charged with drug trafficking.
They were all denied bond after the prosecution sought 10 more days to conclude investigations and also how the documents were acquired.
Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin said the arrest of the four is part of an ongoing operation targeting narcotics traffickers in the country.
“We have intensified the war against marauding drug traffickers keen on making quick financial gain while ruining the lives of many. We will get them all,” he said.
In another incident, police had earlier arrested a couple in Umoja, Nairobi and recovered two kilos of cocaine valued at Sh12 million.
The woman, Selina Ndinda Ndonyo and her Nigerian boyfriend Michael Adedeji Adeyemi were arrested and two kilos of cocaine were recovered from them.
The narcotics had been disguised in African artefacts to prevent detection during transit, police said.
According to police, the man operates from Kampala and arrived in the country on August 27, 2023, through the Busia border.
He told police he is in a community of other Nigerians in Kampala operating church ministries.
According to police investigations, most local drug dealers source their cocaine from Sao Paulo Brazil.
The consignment is shipped using various courier services through Mahe Island Seychelles, South Africa, Zimbabwe then Bujumbura Burundi.
Upon arrival in Burundi, the dealers send the narcotics to regional and global markets including Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, India and the United States of America (USA-New York) via courier services and mules.
Members of the syndicate, operate various bank accounts to settle payments and facilitation which includes ticketing, visa payments, hotel bookings and freight fees.
Most narcotics from Kampala and Ethiopia find their way into the country for onward transmission to Europe through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), officials say.
A major operation is ongoing and is targeting the mules and the drug lords behind the business.