Detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) have apprehended two suspected drug traffickers and recovered drugs valued at Ksh5.4 million.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the two were arrested following an operation in Joska, Machakos County.
“The operation unfolded at around 0200 hours, when vigilant ANU detectives acting on actionable intelligence regarding individuals involved in trafficking narcotic substances mounted a targeted operation in Ng’alalya area of Joska, within Mavoko Sub-County, Machakos County,” read the statement.
According to the DCI, the detectives intercepted a vehicle which had been flagged as a possible carrier of the illicit consignment.
The ANU detectives swiftly moved in and secured the vehicle before conducting a meticulous search.
During the search, the officers recovered three greenish gunny bags and eleven yellow-taped bales, all packed with greenish dry plant material suspected to be narcotic drugs.
Two suspects who were in the vehicle at the time were immediately arrested and have been identified as 30-year-old Charles Otibong’or Muruga and 29-year-old Joel Dienya Swart.
However, the driver of the vehicle, identified only as Newton, managed to escape from the scene by a whisker during the operation.
Detectives have since launched a manhunt for the fugitive suspect as investigations intensify.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the recovered consignment has an approximate weight of 180 kilograms, with an estimated street value of KSh5,400,000.
The recovered exhibits have since been securely transported and stored at the DCI Headquarters exhibits store, where they are pending official weighing and sampling to ascertain the precise weight and value as part of the ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, the suspects are currently being held at Muthaiga Police Station, where they remain in custody pending arraignment before court on charges related to trafficking in narcotic drugs.
The vehicle used in the suspected trafficking operation has been detained at Joska Police Station, awaiting transfer to the DCI Headquarters yard as investigations progress.
