Boost to drugs war as police find bhang plantation inside forest

• Officers raid forest and uproot plants after being tipped off by the public

The war against drugs at the Coast got a major boost ON mONday after police destroyed a bhang plantation inside a forest in Magarini District.

Acting on a tip-off from members of the public, a team of police officers and members of the community policing group in Malindi raided the plantations within Pumwani forest and uprooted hundreds of bhang plants.

They also destroyed nurseries where seedlings were being grown for transplant.

There were also bags of dried seeds, which police believe were being sold to other farmers elsewhere. Police also recovered several rolls of bhang ready for the market.

Praised the good relationship

“The discovery of this plantation is a big breakthrough in the fight against illicit drugs which has become a big issue in Malindi and the whole of Coast Province,” area OCPD David Kerina told journalists.

Mr Kerina said two suspects were arrested during the operation.

The chairman of Maarufu, a local group fighting drugs in Malindi, Mr Famau Mohamed Famau praised the good relationship between the police and members of the public in the war against drugs.

“This good relationship has led to the arrest of many drug dealers. If we continue this way, the problem will drastically reduce in this area,” said Mr Famau.

At the same time, two people described by police as “notorious, hardcore dangerous criminals” were arrested in Malindi at the weekend.

The two are linked to several armed robberies in Malindi and Mombasa, including a recent attack in which a foreigner was gunned down.

Mr Kerina said the two were arrested at a hideout in Ngala Estate.

They were found in possession of military jackets, AK-47 rifles and several military gadgets.

Mr Kerina said the two were part of a six-man armed gang said to be responsible for mayhem in the area.

Meanwhile, police in Kisii are looking for two men who were trafficking 2,400 stones and 1,827 rolls of bhang at the weekend.

Local police boss Peter Njenga said the consignment, worth over Sh800,000, was netted after a dramatic chase by police.

“We have already mounted a manhunt which we hope will yield fruits,” said Mr Njenga, adding “they are using Kisii as a transit point, but we want to warn them that they are treading on dangerous ground.”

Mr Njenga, who was accompanied by his CID counterpart Issa Mohammed, disclosed that in the last seven months police have seized large drug consignments en route to Nairobi from Migori.

Devised new packaging methods

He said those engaging in the illegal business have since devised new methods of packaging, making it even more difficult for the police to catch them.

“Most of the drugs are sneaked into the country from Tanzania through the Isebania border post,” Mr Mohammed said.

He said traffickers were using the Kisii route to transport the bhang to Nairobi and urged members of the public to volunteer information to help curb the illegal business.

Mr Mohammed called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders in the fight against drugs, saying that it has ruined the youth rendering them unproductive.

“We are not going to relent in the fight against drug trafficking. The traffickers should be warned that their days are numbered,” the DCIO said.

Mr Njenga said they have intensified patrols on major highways to curb the rampant trafficking.

Between May and July this year, a Kisii court handed five men fines of between Sh8 million and 3 million for drug trafficking.

Last month, police netted 2,430 stones of bhang at Nyanchwa area in the outskirts of Kisii town valued at over Sh1.2 million.