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Police have unearthed a three-acre bhang plantation with an estimated street value of Ksh60 million during a security operation along the Tana River in Mwingi Central, Kitui County.
Police have unearthed a three-acre bhang plantation with an estimated street value of Ksh60 million during a security operation along the Tana River in Mwingi Central, Kitui County.
In a statement on Monday, September 14, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the plantation was discovered in Kiomo Kyethani Ward, where the illicit crop had been concealed among food crops in a remote river delta.
According to the agency, the operation was conducted following intelligence received by security agencies, leading officers to a suspected narcotics cultivation site in Kakongo Village, Kairungu Location.
"Acting on credible intelligence, a team comprising officers from the National Police Service (NPS) and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) swooped down on a river delta in Kakongo Village, Kairungu Location," the statement read.
DCI said the officers subsequently discovered an extensive plantation covering approximately three acres, with the bhang reportedly planted alongside food crops in an effort to conceal the illegal activity.
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"There, they stumbled upon a sprawling bhang plantation stretching across approximately three acres. The illicit crop was cleverly interspersed with assorted food crops in an apparent attempt to keep it under the radar," the statement added.
With the assistance of local residents, the security team uprooted the bhang and transported the recovered plants to Mwingi Police Station for weighing and further processing.
"With the help of members of the public, the officers swiftly uprooted the bhang and later transported it to Mwingi Police Station, where it was weighed and found to be tipping the scales at 2,000 kilograms of bhang, with an estimated street value of Ksh60 million," the statement further read.
According to the DCI, the operation also led to the recovery of equipment believed to have been used to cultivate and maintain the plantation.
The items included seven solar panels, six jembes, four pangas, two weighing scales, two fork jembes, two hacksaws, a solar control unit and assorted solar accessories.
Police also recovered five petrol-operated water-pump generators and 30 kilograms of CAN fertiliser, among other tools believed to have supported the cultivation of the illegal crop.
Several personal documents suspected to belong to the cultivators were also recovered at the scene.
However, the suspected cultivators were not arrested after they allegedly fled before the security officers arrived.
The DCI said investigations had been launched to establish the individuals behind the large-scale cultivation and trace other members of the suspected narcotics network.
"Investigations into this large-scale cultivation are ongoing, with detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Mwingi Central diligently pursuing leads to trail down the masterminds behind this extensive narcotics network," the statement concluded.
Elsewhere, this comes days after two women were arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a multi-agency security team reportedly foiled an alleged attempt to smuggle 658 grams of suspected gold out of the country.
In a statement on Sunday, September 6, the DCI said the suspects were intercepted on Friday, September 4, as they prepared to travel to Dubai.
"The two suspects, Mahamed Shukri Abdulahi and Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein, were intercepted in the wee hours of September 4, 2026, as they prepared to board an Emirates flight to Dubai," the statement read.
According to the DCI, their journey was stopped after officers subjected the two women to a security search, during which suspected gold was allegedly discovered concealed on their bodies.
"One of the suspects, Mahamed Shukri Abdullahi, was found with a gold bar weighing 541 grams, cleverly concealed in her hair, wrapped with a hairband and tucked beneath her hijab," the statement added.
The DCI said the second suspect had also concealed a quantity of suspected gold, with the DCI saying the material was hidden inside her bra.
"Her accomplice, Sabriye Farhiyo Hussein, had also taken no chances. She had concealed a gold pellet weighing 116.79 grams inside her bra, bringing the total weight of the recovered suspected gold to approximately 658 grams," the statement further read.
