Two men were arrested on Monday in Syokimau estate, Machakos County for growing bhang.
The duo was nabbed by officers from Syokimau police station alongside area chief and Mlolongo assistant county commissioner Dennis Ongaga on Monday.
They recovered twenty plants of bhang planted in plastic containers at one of the suspect’s parents’ home compounds.
Walter Mwangale and Eric Muhatia are suspected to have been harvesting and peddling the confiscated crops.
“Today we have conducted a crackdown on bhang in Syokimau. We confiscated twenty plants of bhang planted in plastic containers and arrested two suspects believed to be behind the illegal substance’s planting,” Ongaga said.
Ongaga spoke to the Star at his office in Mlolongo on Monday.
He said it was suspected the suspects planted the substance for commercial purposes, they are bhang peddlers in Syokimau, Mlolongo, and their environs.
Ongaga said the two had been locked up at Syokimau police station awaiting to be arraigned on Tuesday.
The administrator said the operations were conducted by the police alongside National Government Administration Officers.
He urged members of the public to volunteer information on such criminal activities within their midst to help in eliminating criminals from society.
“The public should know that schools are closed, and our children are out. We would like to plead with them to help us with information that will help us fight these drugs to protect our children’s welfare until schools are re-opened,” Onganga said.
Onganga said the home where the bhang was confiscated was inherited by one of the suspects from his parents.
He said the two-bedroom house is well secured and within a gated community and therefore it was difficult to know that such criminal activity of growing bhang was being carried out there.
“I wish to thank members of the public for the intelligence information. Don’t keep quiet, give us information. This operation was successful because some members of the public gave us information and we, national government administration officers together with police officers from Syokimau police station swiftly swung into action and successfully made the arrests.
Onganga said the bhang was confiscated after they were photographed as exhibits to help in prosecuting the case in court.
