Kenya seizes 454kg of methamphetamine worth $27 million on the coast
Two Tanzanians and a Ugandan were arrested after a tip-off from Tanzanian authorities.
Kenyan authorities have seized 454 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated value of $27 million in a multi-agency operation on the country's coast.
The raid took place on Saturday after Tanzanian authorities, who had arrested a suspect in a separate case, alerted their Kenyan counterparts. Three suspects, two Tanzanian nationals and a Ugandan, were taken into custody.
Presenting the drugs to journalists on Monday, the Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, described the seizure as a significant operational achievement resulting from intelligence-led investigation and cross-border cooperation. "Kenya will not be allowed to serve as a transit route, a destination market or a safe haven for drug traffickers," he said.
Kenya's position on the Indian Ocean has made it a transit point for narcotics bound for other markets, and the authorities have stepped up efforts against trafficking in recent years. A year ago, officers seized 1,036 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, the largest haul in the country's history. Between January and October this year, 1,631 people were arrested for narcotics offences.