Seven soldiers suspected of involvement in a Ksh 192 million meth trafficking case have been detained for 10 days by a Mombasa court, to allow Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives to conduct urgent forensic analysis on recovered narcotics and crucial electronic evidence.
The ruling was made on Thursday December 11, a time when the country was struggling with rising meth trafficking along its coastline, a route long exploited by international crime networks moving drugs across the Indian Ocean.
Senior Resident Magistrate Gladys Ollimo granted the detention request after the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) argued that investigators needed more time to process technical evidence and trace communication links.
The seven soldiers were arrested in a joint operation involving detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters and the Mombasa Regional Office.
They were accused of trafficking 25 kilograms of methamphetamine packaged in whitish crystalline form. Searches conducted in their homes and workplaces led to the recovery of additional narcotics and 11 mobile phones.
In a press release by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Investigators told the court that releasing the suspects could compromise leads connected to a wider drug network.
They also warned that the suspects could interfere with witnesses or tamper with digital evidence stored in their devices.
The court agreed to detain the suspects, saying the drugs’ high value and the suspects’ potential to flee provided sufficient grounds to keep them in custody longer.
The case unfolded weeks after Kenya recorded one of its largest maritime drug busts.
In October 2025, the Kenya Navy, working with INTERPOL and other international partners, intercepted a flagless vessel 630 kilometres off Mombasa carrying over one tonne of 98% pure crystal meth valued at more than KSh8 billion.
Six Iranian nationals had been arrested in that operation, which involved the Coast Guard Service, DCI Anti-Narcotics Unit, and the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Kenya had also seen a rise in local meth production, including a 2024 Namanga raid where authorities dismantled a clandestine lab linked to foreign criminal cartels.
The matter has been scheduled for mention on December 22, pending investigations.
