Suspected drug trafficker arrested with Sh1.8m cocaine

The narcotics were hidden under the inner soles of his rubber shoes.

In Summary
  • Police said the suspect had swallowed more of the drugs and has since been put on the watch to take them out. This may take hours, officials aware of the issue said.
  • Acting on intelligence information, anti-narcotics detectives augmented by the Operations Support Unit intercepted the bus at the Blue Post section of Thika.
Shoes where cocaine was allegedly discovered.
Shoes where cocaine was allegedly discovered.
Image: HANDOUT

A suspected drug trafficker was Friday morning ejected from a Nairobi-bound bus from Moyale.

Police said they found  417 grams of cocaine on him.

The narcotics were hidden under the inner soles of his rubber shoes.

Police said the suspect had swallowed more of the drugs and has since been put on the watch to take them out. This may take hours, officials aware of the issue said.

Acting on intelligence information, anti-narcotics detectives augmented by the Operations Support Unit intercepted the bus at the Blue Post section of Thika.

A 24-year-old man was taken to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for further screening where detectives established that, besides the 417 grams estimated at Sh1.8 million, he had swallowed more drugs than he intended to egest at the destination.

He was detained and fed with glucose pending the egestion of the swallowed sachets and further legal procedures.

Police have intensified operations to address cases of drug trafficking, possession and consumption.

This has seen dozens of suspects nabbed in the operations.

The cases are pending in several courts while some have been convicted in the campaign.

Police have promised more operations in the coming days to address the menace.

Cases of drug trafficking have been on the rise in the country even as most traffickers avoid the main used routes in their business.

Police say they now use roads as opposed to airports to carry out their business.

The most commonly trafficked narcotics from Tanzania and through Uganda is heroin.

Cocaine is also trafficked from the two countries, police say.

A new trend shows some of the drugs are originating in Ethiopia, which has prompted more operations on the routes used.

Kenya made the second biggest seizure in July 2016 and arrested two suspects who were linked to the 100 kilograms of cocaine valued at Sh598 million disguised as sugar.

The case was however later dismissed and the foreigner released.

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