Police in Isiolo seize Sh1m bhang, arrest four suspects
The bhang which was seized in Isiolo on November 25, 2021 while being transported to Nairobi from Moyale. Four suspects were arrested.
Police in Isiolo have arrested four suspects while ferrying bhang estimated to be worth Sh1 million in a private vehicle towards Nairobi from Moyale.
This comes barely two months after four other suspects were caught while transporting bhang worth Sh1.35 million along the same route.
In the Thursday incident, a multi-agency security team flagged down the Toyota Voxy vehicle at Archers Post but the driver drove off after a sniffer dog detected the narcotics. The officers started a chase as fired in the air, forcing him to stop the vehicle which was taken to Isiolo Police Station where a search was done.
Isiolo County Police Commander Joseph Kigen said the bhang, packed in one-kilogramme pieces, was hidden in a compartment in the vehicle’s petrol tank.
“The petrol tank had two compartments, one with the narcotics and the other with fuel,” Mr Kigen said.
The police boss said investigations were underway to establish the owner of the vehicle which was hired by the four men aged between 23 and 25 years.
Car hire services
“Those in the car hire business should be cautious while hiring out the vehicles and besides picking clients’ personal details, demand to know the errands they want to undertake,” he said.
Mr Kigen put drug traffickers on notice, saying his team had intensified surveillance along the Isiolo-Moyale route to ensure narcotics are not sneaked into the country from Ethiopia.
“Our officers are on high alert to bring to an end drug trafficking in the region to salvage the lives of young people,” Mr Kigen noted.
Senior Assistant County Commissioner Samuel Gichohi appealed to the public to collaborate with the security team by providing crucial information to help in arresting others in the illegal business.
“They should know their days are numbered and we will soon catch up with them,” Mr Gichohi warned drug dealers.
Special police unit
Mr Kigen appealed to the Judiciary to give punitive cash bail and bond terms to drug trafficking suspects commensurate with the offence.
County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding recently said a special police unit had been created to deal with traffickers and illegal arm dealers using off-highway routes.
The senior administrator said all vehicles, including those belonging to government officials, will be subjected to searches to ensure no drugs sail through undetected.
