Six Iranian nationals who were arrested at the Kilindini Port in connection with the trafficking of narcotic drugs worth Ksh8 billion will be placed under police custody for the next 30 days.
In a ruling delivered by the Shanzu Magistrate’s court, the Chief Magistrate Antony Mwicigi allowed the Director of Public Prosecutions' request and ordered that the suspects remain in custody at the Port Police Station pending further directions.
The court also authorized investigators to forward the seized substances to the Government Chemist for analysis to confirm their composition and to submit the suspects’ mobile phones for forensic examination at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
The directions came after the court had adjourned the case of six Iranians, after police questioned the credibility of an interpreter tasked with providing translation for the two parties.
The magistrate also ordered that the foreigners be accorded medical treatment at the State’s expense, setting November 14 as the date for mention of the case to receive an update on their welfare.
In his submissions, the investigating officer noted that the suspects are being investigated for trafficking in narcotic drugs, contrary to Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 1994.
While calling for their detention, prosecution emphasised the seriousness of the offense and the need for thorough investigations to safeguard national security and ensure accountability in transnational organised crime.
The latest comes after the vessel the Iranians were in was intercepted on Saturday, October 26, about 630 kilometers east off the coast of Mombasa by a joint team comprising the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Kenya Navy, the Kenya Coast Guard, and NACADA, before being escorted to the port.
The boat was put on radar by Kenyan security agencies after regional and international partners alerted them about a suspicious boat roaming in the Western Indian Ocean.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin said that after the vessel was impounded, security agencies obtained a court order allowing them to inspect its contents.
During the operation, the security agencies managed to seize 769 packages of methamphetamine with an estimated value of Ksh8.2 billion.
After the consignment was nabbed, police began a probe to determine the exact origin and destination of the drugs.
"It may be too early for me to say that the destination was point A or B; it is still under investigation, but certainly it was destined anywhere in this region, and in terms of the source, the vessel was stateless and it had no flags," Amin said.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen further announced that the government would publicly burn the consignment of drugs to make a statement on the fight against illicit substances.
