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Sh8.2bn meth haul: Six Iranians plead guilty, but dispute drug quantity on charge sheet
Iranian nationals, from left: Imtiyaz Daryayi, Imran Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Hassan Baloch, Nadeem Jadgal and Jaseem Darzadeh Nia when they appeared before Shanzu court on January 12, 2026.
Six Iranian nationals arrested in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mombasa with methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion have pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, but disputed the quantity of narcotics cited in the charge sheet.
The suspects Jasem Darzaen Nia, Nadeem Jadgai, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Baksh and Imtiyaz Daryayi were arraigned before the Shanzu Magistrate’s Court, where they admitted trafficking in methamphetamine but insisted that investigators exaggerated the weight of the consignment.
According to the charge sheet, the six trafficked 1,036.044 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, a whitish crystalline substance valued at Sh8.2 billion. However, the suspects say the quantity was less at 800 kilogrammes.
One of the suspects, Jasem, argued that police included the weight of the boxes used to package the substance. Hassan, another suspect, told the court they would accept the charge if the drugs were weighed without the packaging.
In response, the prosecution said the accused were confusing the number of packages with the actual weight of the drugs. Prosecutors told the court that officers seized 769 intact packages, which they weighed as found, adding that police conducted the measurements properly.
The Shanzu magistrate then assured the accused that the drugs would be weighed afresh in the presence of the court to resolve the dispute. The court further noted that it would visit the scene to view both the exhibits and the vessel, saying the items were too bulky to be produced in court.
Some of the 1,024 kilogrammes of synthetic drugs seized from six Iranian crew members aboard a vessel. The haul, estimated to be worth Sh8.2 billion, was seized about 650 km off the shore of Mombasa.
The prosecution told the court that the offence was committed on diverse dates between October 11 and October 20, 2025, on the high seas approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.
Prosecutors said the suspects were aboard an unregistered and stateless dark vessel named MASHAALI AH, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Kenya.
Imran, a suspect, admitted possession but claimed the substance they had was legal in their country and said was not intended for abuse but to keep people awake. He denied that the substance was comparable to cocaine or heroin.
Similarly, Daryayi accepted responsibility but disputed the quantity, telling the court that their colleagues had previously been arrested in France with similar substances, which authorities confiscated before releasing them. He questioned why they were being prosecuted in Kenya.
The prosecution sought two weeks to organise and present the facts of the case, requesting that the reading of facts be conducted at the Kenya Navy base in Mtongwe where the vessel and drugs are held, citing the bulky nature of the exhibits.
The prosecution also asked the court to remand the accused at Shimo La Tewa Prison pending the reading of facts.
'Ignored repeated calls to stop'
The six foreigners were formally charged after spending nearly two months in custody as investigators pursued the source and destination of the narcotics.
According to officers involved in the operation, the crew ignored repeated calls by the Kenya Navy to stop, prompting a boarding operation under the Safe Seas Africa framework with support from a Seychelles Coast Guard patrol aircraft.
After escorting the vessel to Kilindini Port, detectives obtained a search warrant and recovered 769 packages of methamphetamine weighing more than a tonne. Investigators believe the dhow belongs to a cartel operating along the East African coast as part of a wider transnational syndicate and that the consignment was intended for regional markets.
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The consignment, a crystalline methamphetamine of 98 per cent purity, was discovered concealed in black polythene bags wrapped in yellow tape labelled “100 per cent roasted and grounded Arabica coffee.”
The Iranians were charged barely a week after ten people, including eight Kenya Navy soldiers involved in the interception of the vessel, were charged with drug trafficking following the disappearance of part of the consignment valued at Sh330 million.
Court documents filed by the Anti-Narcotic Police Unit and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions show that officers siphoned 38,756 grams of crystalline methamphetamine from the larger consignment weighing 1,036 kilograms during the deep-sea operation conducted on October 19 last year.
The suspects in that case are Juma Mwinyifaki, Peter Kipngetich Tonui, Duke Nyamwaya, Elijah Mbogo, James Ekiru, Abdirahman Abdi Kuno, Michael Peter Kariuki and Abdulrehman Salad Jara. The other two civilians in the case are Mustafa Salim Johari and Dinah Moraa Obwocha.
Mwinyifaki faces charges of trafficking 2,601 grams of narcotics valued at Sh20.8 million, allegedly stored in a bush at Mtongwe Barracks in Likoni on November 27. Tonui and Johari face charges of conspiracy to traffic narcotics. Prosecutors allege that on November 25 at Majengo Mapya in Mvita, the pair conspired to traffic 6,194 grammes of methamphetamine valued at Sh49.5 million, in addition to separate trafficking charges.
Nyamwaya, Moraa and Mbogo face charges of conspiracy to traffic 14,321 grams valued at Sh114.6 million. Nyamwaya and Mbogo also face separate charges of trafficking 5,380 grams worth Sh43 million while Nyamwaya and Moraa face separate charges of trafficking 8,941 grams valued at Sh71.5 million, allegedly stored in houses.
Ekiru and Kuno face charges of conspiracy to traffic 1,319 grammes of narcotics worth Sh10.5 million, with additional charges for storing the drugs. Kariuki and Jara face conspiracy charges involving 2,535 grams of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh20.2 million. All the accused in the related case pleaded not guilty.
Investigators said the charges stem from an internal breach during the high seas seizure, where officers tasked with securing the consignment allegedly diverted part of it before formally booking it as an exhibit.
Last Thursday, the Mombasa Magistrate’s Court released the former soldiers, who are no longer in active service with the Kenya Defence Forces, on a Sh5 million bond each with two sureties of a similar amount. In the alternative, the court granted them the option of a cash bail of Sh3 million each with two contact persons.
The court ruled that although the accused had complied with pre-charge bond terms of Sh500,000, the filing of formal charges significantly altered the circumstances of the case, requiring stricter bond conditions.
The magistrate said investigations were complete and serious charges had been preferred, increasing the risk of absconding or interference with justice. The court acknowledged that the suspects had honoured the initial bond terms, appeared for plea taking and demonstrated stable family ties and known places of residence.
However, the magistrate said bond terms are not a reward for previous compliance and must be reassessed at each stage of proceedings. While recognising that the accused are family men with dependants, the court said these personal circumstances had to be weighed against the seriousness of the offences, the severity of the possible sentences and the public interest in ensuring their attendance at trial.
The soldiers and civilians were arrested on December 11, 2025, following a coordinated operation by officers from the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters and the Mombasa regional office.
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