By Debra Rono
Two suspected drug traffickers have been apprehended in Mombasa, with bhang worth 13 million shillings seized during the operation.
In a collaborative effort involving detectives from Moi International Airport and the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) in Mombasa, law enforcement officials successfully arrested Crispin Oduor Owino and his co-driver, Caleb Otieno Agolo, in-vehicle KBQ 605K at the Mariakani weighbridge.
“In the relentless war against trafficking in narcotics, a joint operation by detectives from Moi International Airport and the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) in Mombasa led to the arrest of two traffickers and the seizure of cannabis worth over Sh13 million,” stated the DCI statement.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the anti-narcotics unit acted on a tip-off from the public.
“Based on a tip-off from the public, authorities organized a stakeout at the Mariakani weighbridge where they intercepted a silver Toyota Noah KBQ 605K driven by Crispin Oduor Owino and his co-driver Caleb Otieno Agolo,” the DCI revealed.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered a substantial cache consisting of sixteen sacks and two hundred twenty-six large sticks of Cannabis Sativa. Additionally, a concealed license plate, KBW 664P, was found hidden beneath the driver’s seat.
The total weight of the seized drugs is 456 kilograms, with an estimated value of 13,680,000 shillings. Both the narcotics and the vehicle are currently retained as evidence, while the suspects remain in custody at Moi International Airport, awaiting arraignment.
This comes even as DCI on Thursday announced that Hussein Otita Wakhayanga and Daniel Gor John, two infamous traffickers, were found guilty by the JKIA law courts and subsequently sentenced to 24 years in prison for trafficking cannabis sativa valued at over Sh4 million.
The pair was captured on May 22, 2023, during a critical operation conducted along the Nairobi-Naivasha highway in the Flyover region.
These arrests demonstrate the steadfast dedication of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to the fight against narcotics trafficking in the country.