Editor's Review
Police officers in Nakuru have recovered bhang valued at approximately Ksh7.2 million after a road accident exposed an illicit drug trafficking operation along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
Police officers in Nakuru have recovered bhang valued at approximately Ksh7.2 million after a road accident exposed an illicit drug trafficking operation along the Nakuru-Nairobi Highway.
In a statement on Monday, September 21, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the consignment was discovered after an SUV carrying the narcotics was involved in a crash between Shinners Boys and the Mbaruk area.
According to preliminary findings by the agency, the driver was attempting to overtake when the vehicle lost control and collided with an oncoming trailer.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that a Mazda CX-5, registration number KDW 640U, which was travelling from Nakuru towards Nairobi, attempted to overtake before the driver lost control and collided with an oncoming Scania trailer," the statement read.
According to the DCI, the collision caused significant damage to the SUV, particularly its front section.
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The driver, however, reportedly escaped from the scene before officers arrived, leaving the damaged vehicle and its cargo behind.
"The impact caused the SUV to spin and sustain extensive damage to its front section. However, the driver abandoned the wreckage and fled the scene, leaving behind cargo that would soon reveal a drug trafficking operation," the statement added.
Officers processing the accident scene subsequently inspected the abandoned Mazda, where they made a discovery that transformed the crash investigation into a narcotics trafficking case.
"During scene processing, officers discovered six sacks of bhang inside the Mazda CX-5. The recovered narcotics weighed 241.5 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of Ksh7,245,000," the statement further read.
The six sacks containing the narcotics were secured as exhibits as investigations into the suspected trafficking operation continued.
The National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) detectives based in Nakuru have since taken over the investigation to establish the source of the bhang, its intended destination and the individuals behind the consignment.
At the same time, detectives have launched a manhunt for the driver of the Mazda CX-5, who remains at large following the accident.
This comes days after police 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 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.
"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.
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.
