Five suspects are in custody after detectives seized more than 582 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis in raids in Kisumu, Kisii and Nairobi. In one of the operations, police shot out a car tyre to stop a driver who refused to pull over.

The operations brought together the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, the Regional Drug Unit and the police K-9 Unit. They also recovered 1,002 rolls of bhang and a quantity of cigarettes believed to have entered the country without duty being paid.

Tyre shot out at Kisumu roundabout

The largest seizure was in Kisumu. Anti-narcotics officers from Busia and Nyanza, working with DCI detectives in Kisumu, stopped a Toyota Axio at the Kisumu Boys roundabout after a tip-off.

Police say the driver ignored orders to stop. Officers then fired one round into the car's front left tyre and brought it to a halt. The driver escaped in the confusion that followed, but a 21-year-old woman travelling with him was arrested as she tried to run away.

A search of the car turned up the following:

  • 282.55 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis in seven sacks, with more loose inside the car, valued at about Sh8.65 million;
  • 40 dozen packets of suspected uncustomed cigarettes worth about Sh40,000.

Detectives are still looking for the driver.

Seven sacks in Keumbu house

In Kisii County, a member of the public tipped off officers about a house at Keumbu Trading Centre. The raid recovered seven sacks holding about 300 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the house.

Jericho estate bust

In Nairobi, a multi-agency team led by the officer commanding Jogoo Road Police Station raided a two-bedroom house in Jericho Estate, Buruburu. Officers found 1,002 rolls of suspected bhang, 936 brown and 66 red, in a black polythene bag. NACADA put their street value at about Sh5,750.

All three occupants of the house were arrested and taken to Jogoo Road Police Station. NACADA also said officers took a bunch of keys from a store in the house as part of the investigation.

Crackdown on supply routes

Police say all the exhibits have been secured and the scenes documented. The five suspects remain in custody and are expected in court. None of them has been charged yet.

The seizures are part of a wider government push against drug trafficking. Western Kenya has been a frequent target because investigators say bhang from across the border passes through Busia and Kisumu on its way to Nairobi and other markets. NACADA has recently increased raids on what it calls supply points in residential estates, and it is urging the public to keep reporting suspected drug dens.

Photos: KBC; NACADA via The Standard. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.