The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Wednesday, April 2, reported the arrest of a public service vehicle (PSV) driver caught with 401 rolls of bhang.
In a stunning revelation, the 14-seater vehicle was ferrying only school-going students and travelling from Kisumu to Migori.
Despite the seemingly clever ruse to fend off police authorities, vigilant members of the public reportedly raised an alarm of the suspicious matatu.
Police officers drawn from the Kamagambo Police Station then set up an ambush, intercepting the vehicle before it reached its destination.
A thorough search of the vehicle unearthed the rolls of bhang being transported in two bags and weighing 34.4 kilogrammes. It was estimated to have a street value of just over Ksh1 million.
One of the bags ferrying the drugs was a popular suitcase, often used by travelling students, and was secured on the roof carrier of the matatu.
The driver was subsequently arrested and is currently being held at the Kamagambo Police Station for processing, awaiting a court arraignment.
Most notably, the rush for school closing days commenced this week, and the students are among those rushing home for the holidays ahead of the second school term.
The arrest comes even as the DCI and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) heighten crackdowns against drug use among students.
Late last year, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki vowed a crackdown against drug traffickers and peddlers of drugs to school-going children while speaking at the Chepsaita Cross Country Race.
“Those who are selling drugs to the young people of Kenya are enemies of Kenya. I want to assure you today of the government’s stand towards combating the sale of drugs that promote drug abuse and hamper the progress of our young people in Kenya,” Kindiki asserted.
“On behalf of the government, I want to declare today that we will fight against such people, and we will succeed."
