Six Iranian nationals have been arraigned at the Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa over their involvement in trafficking a massive drug consignment valued at approximately Ksh8.2 billion.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Monday, January 12, all six accused persons pleaded guilty to the charges after they were formally read in court.
The six Iranian nationals are linked to the seizure of 1,036.044 kilograms of methamphetamine intercepted in October 2025.
The charges were presented to the court following the conclusion of a Miscellaneous Application that had been filed earlier seeking custodial orders for the suspects.
After the six pleaded guilty to the charges, the court ordered that they be remanded at Shimo La Tewa GK Prison pending the reading of facts, which has been scheduled for January 30, 2026.
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The court's directive sets the stage for the next phase of the legal proceedings, during which the prosecution will present detailed facts of the case before sentencing.
The Iranian nationals were apprehended during a high-stakes multi-agency maritime operation off the Kenyan coast. Security officers intercepted a stateless dhow in the Indian Ocean, leading to the arrest of the six suspects who were found onboard the vessel.
The operation, code-named Bahari Safi, was executed by a multi-agency team comprising the Kenya Navy, Anti-Narcotics Unit, Kenya Coast Guard, National Intelligence Service (NIS), and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA).
The vessel was intercepted approximately 630 kilometers east of Mombasa in the Indian Ocean and subsequently escorted to the port of Mombasa, where authorities discovered packages of synthetic methamphetamine weighing over 1,024 kilograms stacked in sacks.
According to investigative reports, the vessel had been on the radar of the international community for suspected involvement in drug trafficking operations before Kenyan authorities successfully seized it.
The matter will return to court on January 30, 2026, for the reading of facts before the court proceeds to sentencing.
