- Government announces it has intensified war on narcotics, targeting drug kingpins
- Shipment coming from Brazil and destined for Spain was intercepted in Mombasa on July 29, 2016
Image: FILE
Interior CS Fred Matiang'i has urged security agencies to fight drug kingpins without fear of intimidation.
Matiang’i assured the agencies of support from the head of state in the war on drugs, which he said are destroying the nation.
Speaking at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi during the destruction of confiscated cocaine on Wednesday, the CS said drug traffickers are enemies of the state and shall be dealt with as such.
"The President asked me to inform you that he has your back. Do not be intimidated by anyone. We have resolved to take this matter to another level,” he said.
Matiang’i warned drug traffickers who have enjoyed protection in the past that the government will do whatever it takes to bring them down.
“We will not care about your status or the responsibilities you hold in the country. If you are a drug kingpin, we will hunt you down before you destroy our country,” he said.
The CS said the destruction of the nabbed cocaine was an indication of the government’s commitment to fight drugs.
Ninety kilograms of cocaine seized three years ago was destroyed in an event supervised by High Court Judge Luka Kimaru.
The cocaine valued at Sh578, 330, 800 had been compressed into slabs and packed in galley bags together with bags of sugar.
Head of the anti-narcotics unit Hamisi Salim Massa said one gram of cocaine amounts 20 doses of single consumption, which is sold at Sh400.
The shipment which was coming from Brazil and destined for Spain was nabbed at Kilindini Port in Mombasa on July 29, 2016. Two people- a Briton and a Kenyan - were charged with the offense before the DPP withdrew the case against them.
Justice Kimaru explained that the DPP had opted to withdraw the case upon the realization that the two were not part of the drug trafficking group.
“They were very cooperative and helped police with the investigations even before the drugs were nabbed,” Kimaru said.
Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyamba lauded police for working diligently to ensure people trafficking drugs are arrested and prosecuted. He also thanked the public for their support in relaying information to the police.
DPP Noordin Haji affirmed that exhibits, specifically drugs, are best kept by the DCI for safety. He said the police kept the evidence for three years without tampering with it.