Heroin worth Sh1.5m seized at JKIA

The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Khamis Masa from the Anti-Narcotics Unit said investigations are ongoing.

  • No arrests have been made following the incident.

  • Drug Abuse, 24,500 people are addicted to drugs in Mombasa alone, pointing to a greater problem in the country.

Detectives on Monday seized heroin worth Sh1.5 million at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The consignment, which was destined for the Republic of Guinea, was disguised as a generator spare part according to Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

“The consignment which was described as a generator spare part was found to conceal a brownish substance which tested positive for heroin,” said DCI on its Twitter handle.

Mr Khamis Masa from the Anti-Narcotics Unit said investigations are ongoing, and added that no arrests had been made following the incident.

GREATER PROBLEM

This is even when statistics indicate that thousands of Kenyans are addicted to drugs. According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse, 24,500 people are addicted to drugs in Mombasa alone, pointing to a greater problem in the country.

School going children are some of the most affected. Learning institutions have admitted that students abuse drugs albeit secretly.

Last week, the DCI issued an alert over a child who was recorded on a video smoking in the presence of two adults.

BHANG

On February 3, police in Makueni netted bhang worth Sh3 million being transported from Nairobi to Mombasa. On February 11, police seized bhang worth Sh4.5 million in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi. The drug was being offloaded from a petrol tanker.

Drug peddlers have also devised ways of concealing hard drugs on transit. For example, in November 2018, heroin and methamphetamine worth millions was confiscated at JKIA on transit to China and New Zealand disguised as makeup.

And in April 2018, police intercepted 20 kilograms of a narcotics believed to be heroin at JKIA concealed as Kericho Gold tea.