The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has recovered 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine valued at KSh 3.6 billion in Kwale County following a cross-border operation that led to the arrest of three suspects.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin said the operation involved a multi-agency team led by detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB), working with intelligence shared between Kenyan and Tanzanian authorities.
The investigation began on November 5, 2026, when Tanzanian authorities arrested Basleman Saleh Khamis, a suspected drug trafficker wanted in both Kenya and Tanzania. He was subsequently handed over to Kenyan authorities at the Lunga Lunga-Horohoro border crossing as detectives pursued leads into the suspected trafficking network.
Further investigations led officers to Shirazi Village in Kwale County, where Khamis and Nakabugo Zuraicah, a 37-year-old Ugandan woman, were linked to the suspected operation.
Detectives later proceeded to Ganja la Simba Village in Kinondo, where a targeted search uncovered 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine and led to the arrest of Hamad Seif Said, a 54-year-old Tanzanian national.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of two motor vehicles, a white Ford station wagon registration number KDY 626Z and a white Ford pickup registration number KDZ 201A, alongside a red TVS motorcycle registration number KMGT 230A.
The three suspects named in Amin's briefing remain in custody as investigations continue to establish the full extent of the trafficking network and identify other accomplices.
The recovery comes as the government intensifies its campaign against narcotics and illicit alcohol, which President William Ruto declared a national security priority in his 2026 New Year Address.
As part of the response, the former Anti-Narcotics Unit was transformed into NANIB to strengthen specialised investigations, intelligence gathering and enforcement operations.
In April 2026, the bureau recruited 208 officers drawn from the Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service. It has also established 40 additional stations and trained 314 new and existing officers in basic anti-narcotics investigations at the National Criminal Investigations Academy in Nairobi.
Between January and October 2026, NANIB recovered 21,005.54 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at KSh 630,166,200, 10.23 kilogrammes of cocaine worth KSh 40,920,000, 7.74 kilogrammes of heroin valued at KSh 23,220,000, 7.67 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth KSh 61,352,000 and 4.8 kilogrammes of amphetamine valued at KSh 24 million.
The combined estimated value of the recoveries stood at KSh 779,658,200, with 1,631 suspects arrested during the same period.
The bureau has also pursued convictions in major trafficking cases. In Iten, Vincent Odhiambo was sentenced to pay a KSh 24 million fine or serve 10 years in prison in default after being convicted of trafficking 266.2 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at KSh 7,986,000.
In another case, the High Court upheld sentences imposed on three individuals convicted by the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) court in 2025 for trafficking 871.8 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at KSh 26,154,000.
Beyond arrests and seizures, NANIB is working with the Asset Recovery Agency and other institutions to trace proceeds of drug trafficking, including cash, vehicles, houses, land and businesses. The investigations target the financiers and organisers behind the trade, rather than focusing solely on those transporting the narcotics.
The Kwale operation follows the seizure of 1,036 kilogrammes of methamphetamine from the vessel MV Mashaallah in the Indian Ocean in October 2025. The consignment, valued at approximately KSh 8.2 billion, was destroyed on September 24, 2026, at Bamburi Cement Factory in Mombasa.
Amin said cooperation with Tanzanian and other East African law enforcement agencies would remain central to dismantling cross-border trafficking networks.
He also urged members of the public to share information with security agencies to help identify and disrupt narcotics operations.
