The Judiciary in Malindi on Saturday destroyed narcotics worth sh.14.5 million at the main dumping site.
Drugs destroyed composed of 500 kilograms of bhang worth Sh.2.5 million and five kilograms of heroin worth Sh. 12.5 million.
One gram of heroin has a street value of Sh. 2500.
Malindi Chief Magistrate Julie Oseko who led the exercise said the narcotics drugs were recovered from 1012 suspects who were arrested, charged and convicted at the Malindi law courts from the five sub counties which are within the court’s jurisdiction.
The exercise was done in front of Court Users Committee members, NGOs such as Omar project that is helping rehabilitate drug addicts, office of the Director of Public Prosecution, national police service, provincial administration.
Addressing journalists during the exercise the Chief Magistrate said the drugs destroyed consist of those exhibits which passed through courts and used as exhibits from 2002 to 2019.
‘‘We are required by law to dispose these drugs under the court’s supervision. Basically this is a court sitting though we are in the dumpsite. What we have here today are cannabis 500 kilos, heroine five kilos,’’ she said.
Oseko said the suspects who had been arrested were taken to court and convicted and sentenced of possession or trafficking in drugs.
She said the cases of the drugs were concluded and suspects convicted adding that some could either be serving jail term or could be outside
The magistrate said in 2017 they did the same exercise, but then realized that some of the drugs had been kept at the police stations on behalf of the court which did not have space to store them.
‘‘We can assure you as of now we do not have any drugs at the police station. The only drugs that are in our possession are the ones that have cases still pending in court. For me this is a very important occasion because it therefore depicts that the war against drugs,’’ she said.
Oseko said drugs have really destroyed a lot of lives adding that the judiciary as an institution together with their stakeholders managed that breakthrough because of the support they received from, stakeholders such as anti-narcotics, county office,NGOs,
‘‘We have been working very very closely so that we are able to rid the coast region of the drug menace coz this region is a hub of these drugs,’’ she said.
Malindi Assistant county commissioner Omar Abdi who was present thanked members of public for their good work in volunteering information that led to the arrest of the over 1012 suspects
‘‘In future I just want to tell you that we are no longer relaxing, the fight will be intensified and our target will be more than this,’’ he said.
He urged members of the public to try and give out information to security personnel so as to arrest the drug traffickers
Alice Mathangani from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution said they register one plea for drugs in at the Malindi law courts daily that shows the seriousness of the epidemic of drugs.
Malindi anti-drug crusader Mohamed Famau hailed the Judiciary for the good work and the police for the crackdown against drug traffickers.
‘‘This is not something easy or small that today is the third time in Malindi to destroy drugs, we have gone a step further after the campaigns that we do aimed at ending drug trafficking,’’ he said.
He said the aim of the campaign is to end drug trafficking in Kilifi County and the coast region at large to end the drug menace and save the youth who have been affected by the drugs.
Mohamed appealed to Members of parliament not to pass the cannabis bill which is already in parliament
‘‘If the bill is passed it will wipe out current and future generation because bhang affects youth some get mental sickness, drop out of school while others do not get married,’’ he said.
