Police lock up suspect in Sh22m heroin haul case

A Kenyan suspect who left the country after being linked to a Sh22 million heroin haul that was destroyed in the high seas in 2014 has been arrested.

Police on Monday locked up Ndechumia Bilali Kimali soon after he arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi from Madagascar.

In a statement, police said Mr Kimali is linked to the 7.6 kilogrammes of heroin that were blown up in the Indian Ocean on August 14, 2014.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) destroyed the narcotics together with a luxurious yacht, christened Baby Iris, that was trying to enter Kenya.

The hard drugs were in transit to Swaziland, according to security sources in the ocean.

Mr Kimali has been living in Madagascar since he fled on April 20, 2015.

MASTERMIND

On his return, Mr Kimali was accompanied by Interpol agents, who handed him over to the Kenyan police.

“He is believed to be the mastermind behind the trafficking of illicit drugs that were destined overseas,” said Joseph Mugwanja, the officer in charge of criminal investigations at the Kenya Airports Police Unit.

Mr Mugwanja added that the suspect is linked to local and foreign drug barons who are currently under investigation.

He said the suspect is a dangerous trafficker and that he would be presented in court later in the day.

Five other people have been charged and the case is pending at the Mombasa Law Courts.

“Let it be known that criminals committing crime in Kenya and running to other countries will be pursued and brought back in the country to face law,” Mr Mugwanja said.

He added that the police were in constant collaboration with other agencies to ensure that crime is contained.

WEALTHY TOURISTS

Mr Kimali is alleged to have bought the heroin-laden yacht from Kilifi in 2014 and police said it was in transit to Swaziland when it was seized. On board were five Kenyans and a Seychellois, Clement Serge Bristol, the yacht’s pilot. They have since been charged.

Before the destruction of the yacht, police said it had ferried wealthy Western tourists between Kenyan ports, Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam, Madagascar and Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

The destruction of the yacht drew criticism from the Law Society of Kenya, which said that Kenyan authorities had destroyed exhibits of an active case.

A magistrate, Julius Nag’ea, also withdraw from the case on the grounds that the decision to destroy the vessel struck a blow to the rule of law.