- Police said the bhang originated from Migori County.
- One of the suspects is a notorious bhang seller in the coastal region who is among the most wanted drug dealers in the region, police said.
At least two traffickers were arrested and 435 rolls of bhang were recovered from them in an operation by officials from the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) and police in Mtwapa, Kilifi County.
The dealers were ferrying the narcotics when they were stopped on Saturday, February 10, 2024, police said.
Police said the bhang originated from Migori County.
One of the suspects is alleged to be a notorious bhang seller in the Coastal region who is among the most wanted drug dealers in the region, police said.
The second suspect is also a notorious drug dealer with links in Kilifi and Malindi.
Several motorcycles were detained during the crackdown, as they were being used to transport bhang and other illicit substances in the coastal region, police said.
Nacada CEO Dr Anthony Omerikwa confirmed that the consumption of bhang had risen by 90 per cent in the region.
He explained that about a million Kenyans smoke bhang.
Last Thursday, security teams intercepted more than 400 kilograms of bhang valued at Sh20 million along the Mwingi-Garissa highway.
Two suspects who were ferrying the drugs in a lorry carrying cows to Nairobi were arrested in the Thursday afternoon operation.
Police said the cargo was hidden in a false compartment in the lorry.
The team, which intercepted the narcotics revealed they were destined for the Kiamaiko area in Huruma where a supplier was waiting to pick them.
Police say the Kiamaiko area is Nairobi’s main hub for cannabis storage and packaging.
Detectives have linked also the surge in real estate construction in the area to proceeds of drug trafficking.
The head of the Anti Narcotics Unit, Samuel Laboso said they have stepped up the crackdown against drug traffickers who continue to procure drugs at the detriment of the country.
This is the latest seizure of such drugs in the area.
Most of the bhang seized in the region originates in Ethiopia.
Moyale town, the largest of the trading centres stands out as the capital of contraband that includes smuggling of Kenya’s popular variety of bhang.
Cases of drug trafficking, possession and consumption in parts of the country have been on the rise despite operations to tame them.
Dozens of traffickers have since been arrested and charged in the operation.
Police are yet to net main drug lords as only mules are usually arrested.
Police say traffickers now use roads as opposed to airports to carry out their business.
The operations come days after Nacada officials on February 7, 2024, seized 750 liters of ethanol during a crackdown in Ruaka, Kiambu County.
This was during a multi-agency operation involving officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the National Police Service.
Nacada took the initiative, after an incident in Kirinyaga County where 17 died while others are still receiving treatment after consuming what is suspected to be illicit alcohol.