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.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
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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