The six Iranian suspects in Sh8.2bn drugs haul case fail to take plea

The six Iranians busted with drugs at the Shanzu Law Courts on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

The six Iranians busted with drugs at the Shanzu Law Courts on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

Security officers escorting the Iranian drugs suspects at the Shanzu Law Courts on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

The six Iranians busted with drugs at the Shanzu Law Courts on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

The six Iranian nationals who were Thursday arrested over a record-breaking Sh8.2 billion drugs bust in Mombasa failed to take plea on Monday.

The six, Imtiyaz Daryayi, Rahim Baksh, Nadeem Jadgal, Jasem Darzadeh Nia, Imran Baloch and Hassan Baloch, were arraigned before Shanzu Law Court chief magistrate Anthony Mwicigi to face charges of trafficking in narcotic drugs.

However, they could not take plea because the Iranian interpreter sought had not been verified by the court.

Chief magistrate Mwicigi, however, directed that they be brought back today (Tuesday) for plea taking once the interpreter is has been given the green light after verification.

The prosecution is seeking orders to have the six detained for 30 days to allow investigators to finish their investigation into the drugs haul.

The government chemist has since said the drugs is methamphetamine and is 98 per cent pure.

It is also seeking orders to detain the phones, including satellite phones, the six Iranian suspects were using to communicate with some unknown people for forensic audits.

Shadrack Kemei, an investigator in the case, told the court they received intelligence from the Kenya Naval Forces on October 19, that there was a dark vessel that had been intercepted in the high seas and was suspected to be conveying narcotic drugs.

“The dark vessel arrived at the Kilindini port (Mombasa port) in the morning of October 24, under the escort of Kenya Navy.

“After a search of various compartments at the deck, 769 packages of crystalline substances suspected to be synthetic drugs weighing 1035.986kg were recovered,” Kemei told the court in a sworn affidavit.

Two of the suspects did not have any identification document on them.

Kemei said they suspect the suspects are part of a larger transnational organized crime network and the information that may be recovered from their mobile phones is likely to lead to the arrest of more suspects.

The prosecution asked the court not to grant the suspect bonds as they may be a flight risk since they have no known abode in Kenya.

If found guilty the six may be imprisoned for life.

The drugs bust is the largest in the country’s history, following that of the cocaine worth Sh6 billion nabbed in Malindi in December 2004.

The vessel that carried the Sh8.2 billion is stateless, meaning it has no flag, therefore it is difficult to determine where the drugs are from and where it was going.

It was nabbed some 630km off east of Mombasa.

Kenya is facing a growing synthetic drug crisis, particularly along the coastline, where thousands of young people are struggling with meth and heroin addiction.

Leaders in Mombasa are now asking questions about the haul, saying Kenyans could be in for a rough ride in the near future.

“I commend our military officers for the interception. But my worry is, why did it take that long to announce such a kind of drug bust? They said they nabbed the vessel on October 23 but only announced it on October 25. Why?” posed Nyali MP Mohammed Ali.

He said Kenya is now becoming a haven for drug trafficking and an important transit hub for drug barons.

“You remember the other day we saw the driver of a prominent person in Kenya helping a drug trafficker pass through JKIA, only for the trafficker to be arrested in London’s Heathrow Airport?

“What happened to that driver of the prominent person on government? If the government was serious about fighting drugs, we should have been told by now that the driver was arrested and prosecuted,” Ali told the Star on phone.

“How many other drugs could have already passed into our Kenya? If it were not for the sharp eyes of the military, we would be seeing zombies all over,” he said.

The Nyali MP warned that Kenya could lose many youth to drugs if nothing is done.

He expressed fear that the drugs trade in Kenya could be facilitated by people in government.

“The brazen nature of the haul and the calm nature of those arrested tells you these people were under protection of some kind. You cannot tell me one can gamble with such a huge load if they do not know a thing or two about the security arrangement in Kenya,” Ali said.

INSTANT ANALYSIS:

Authorities have hailed the record interception of more than a ton of methamphetamine as a major breakthrough in Kenya’s ongoing fight against narcotics trafficking and addiction. The Coast is the most affected region by drugs, with an estimated 30 per cent of residents in the region being addicted to drugs. The region has a population of an estimated 4.3 million.