Two charged over Sh4m cocaine haul in Mombasa
Suspects of cocaine trafficking (from left): Mohamed Jabir Ali and Hilton Gocho Chopeta, who had swallowed 44 pellets of cocaine before his arrest at Moi International Airport in Mombasa on July 22, 2026.
Two suspects, including a 67-year-old man, have been charged before a Mombasa court with conspiracy to traffic cocaine worth about Sh4 million.
Hilton Gocho Chopeta and Mohamed Jabir Ali appeared before the court on Wednesday over offences allegedly committed between July 15 and 16, 2026, in Mombasa County.
According to the charge sheet, the two are accused of jointly conspiring with other persons who have not been arrested to traffic cocaine, contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.
Suspects of cocaine trafficking (from left): Mohamed Jabir Ali and Hilton Gocho Chopeta, who had swallowed 44 pellets of cocaine before his arrest at Moi International Airport in Mombasa on July 22, 2026.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, the two face separate counts of trafficking the narcotic drug. Mr Chopeta is accused of trafficking by conveying 734.9528 grammes of cocaine valued at Sh2,939,811.
Mr Ali is separately accused of trafficking by storing 256.478 grammes of cocaine with an estimated street value of Sh1,025,912. The total quantity of cocaine recovered in the operation was 991.4308 grammes with a combined market value of Sh3,965,723.
The prosecution alleges that the offences were committed on diverse dates between July 15 and 16 within Mombasa County. The two suspects denied the charges when they were read to them before the Mombasa court.
In an affidavit opposing their release on bail, investigators told the court that the two suspects posed a flight risk and were likely to abscond if released before the case is heard and determined.
Corporal Gershom Wachitsa, an investigator attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations' Anti-Narcotics Unit in Mombasa and the investigating officer in the case, said police were still pursuing critical lines of inquiry, making the suspects' continued detention necessary.
According to the affidavit, officers acting on intelligence reports mounted a multi-agency operation on July 15 and 16 targeting suspected cocaine traffickers operating within Mombasa County.
Police said Mr Chopeta was arrested at about 10am on July 15 at the barrier leading to Moi International Airport while allegedly on his way to board a flight to Dubai.
Police have intercepted drugs worth Sh51 million at the coast region, with the latest one being from a traveller who was heading to Dubai and had swallowed more than 20 Pallets before his arrest in this photo taken on July 21, 2026.
He was escorted to the DCI regional offices, where investigators said he excreted 15 pellets of suspected cocaine before being taken to Port Reitz Hospital, where he expelled a further 29 pellets, bringing the total recovered from his body to 44.
The following day, at about 12.30am, Mr Ali was arrested while crossing the Likoni Ferry Channel towards Mombasa Island.
Investigators said he later led officers to his house in Bombolulu to collect keys before directing them to another house in the Bamburi Fisheries area, where 16 additional pellets of suspected cocaine were recovered.
Police told the court that the 60 pellets recovered from the two suspects weighed a total of 991.43 grammes and had an estimated street value of Sh3,965,723 after being photographed, weighed and sampled by a government analyst.
The investigating officer further argued that releasing the suspects would jeopardise ongoing investigations, including exploitation of intelligence leads and cyber forensic analysis.
Police have intercepted drugs worth Sh51 million at the coast region, with the latest one being from a traveller who was heading to Dubai and had swallowed more than 20 Pallets before his arrest in this photo taken on July 21, 2026.
"The respondents are flight risks. The matter is still under active investigation, with exploitation and cyber analysis taking place, and releasing the accused persons may jeopardise critical investigation steps," Mr Wachitsa stated in the affidavit.
He also informed the court that Mr Ali already has another criminal case pending before the courts, adding that the seriousness of the charges and the severe penalties prescribed upon conviction increased the likelihood that the suspects could abscond if granted bail.
The prosecution urged the court to deny the two bail until the case is heard and determined in the interest of justice. The suspects, however, opposed the prosecution's application, arguing that the State had failed to present compelling reasons to justify denying them bail.
Through their advocate, they told the court that their constitutional rights had already been violated after they were arraigned outside the period prescribed by law following their arrest.
"Our rights have already been violated after we were presented in court long after our arrest, beyond the constitutionally provided timeline," the defence submitted.
They further argued that the prosecution had not demonstrated how releasing them on bond would interfere with investigations or the administration of justice.
"No compelling reasons have been advanced to warrant denial of such a right. The reasons given are not compelling because the court has not been told how their freedom will interfere with investigations," they said.
The defence also dismissed claims that the accused persons were a flight risk, noting that police had already escorted one of the suspects to his home during investigations, proving that the authorities knew where they lived.
"The police said they escorted the suspect to his house, so it means where he lives is known. These are people who have a place they call home. We urge the court to treat the suspects as innocent and find that there are no compelling reasons to deny them bond. They are willing to abide by whatever bond terms the court may impose," the advocate told the court.
Investigations show the suspect excreted the suspected drug pellets over a prolonged, medically supervised process at Port Reitz Hospital after doctors placed him under close observation.
To facilitate the safe passage of the pellets through his digestive system, medical personnel provided him with food and monitored his condition continuously.
According to the investigation brief, the suspect first expelled 15 pellets at 6.40pm, followed by three more at 7.21pm on the day of admission. In the early hours of the following day, he excreted another five pellets at 12.20am, one pellet at 3am and three more at 5.10am.
On July 17, he expelled the final two pellets at 7.15pm, bringing the total number of recovered pellets to 44. Investigators believe the pellets had been swallowed before the suspect's arrest.
In such cases, illicit drugs are typically compressed into small, capsule-like pellets and tightly wrapped in multiple layers of materials such as latex or plastic to prevent leakage inside the body.
The pellets are then swallowed individually and transported internally through the digestive tract until they are expelled under medical supervision. A follow-up X-ray conducted after the final excretion confirmed that no more pellets remained in the suspect's body.
Doctors declared him out of danger and discharged him before he was escorted to Mbaraki Police Station for further processing as investigations continued. The suspects have been remanded pending further court direction on August 5.
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