The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is holding five people in connection to a large bhang consignment intercepted along Isiolo-Moyale highway on Friday.
The woman and four men believed to be her employees were arrested after the National Intelligence Service (NIS) sent a brief to the DCI, saying the men were ferrying the commodity in two trucks.
The woman arrested along the highway, near Archer’s Post, is suspected to be the owner of the trucks. The DCI’s Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) Deputy Director, Janet Shako, said this information has not been verified.
Suspects look on as police officers at the DCI's headquarters along Kiambu Road in Nairobi remove bhang from two lorries intercepted on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Ms Shako added that the value of the bhang has not been ascertained but other officers placed it at around Sh20 million.
The detectives spent the whole day offloading, sampling and weighing the bhang to ascertain its monetary value.
An official from the Government Chemist collected samples for analysis as the DCI seeks to tighten its case against the suspects.
Police officers at the DCI head office along Kiambu Road remove bhang from two lorries intercepted on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
The DCI is profiling the suspects’ assets, including the two lorries, to list them as proceeds of crime before making an application in court to have them all forfeited to the State.
A welder cut through the body of a lorry to access bhang hidden there after it was intercepted along the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
The consignment is said to have originated from Shashamane region in Ethiopia, which reportedly leads in the production of high quality bhang.
Bhang is pictured hidden in a lorry that was taken to the DCI's head office along Kiambu Road after it was seized on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020 and five suspects arrested.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“It is worth noting that the criminals who have been undertaking this illegal activity have been using modes of concealment ranging from use of water bowsers, stuffing in fuel tanks, dashboards and spare wheels, and most recently, creating additional compartments under buses, lorries and other vehicles,” Ms Shako said.
Shesaid investigations have revealed that proceeds of the illegal business have directly funded terror activities within the region.
Some of the bhang that was seized on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020 by DCI officers who arrested five suspects.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Al-Shabaab lost a main source of revenue after losing control of the Port of Kismayo following eviction by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
The terror group is said to have turned to illicit trade, including the bhang business, to fund its operations.
The five people found transporting bhang in two trucks are pictured at the DCI's headquarters along Kiambu Road in Nairobi following their arrest on the Isiolo-Moyale highway on November 14, 2020.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Ms Shako said the DCI is working with multi-agency players on the case and has heightened the war against transportation and sale of illicit drugs around the country.
“Previously, piracy used to be a major source of funds for terror groups and since it was dismantled, they have turned to drug trafficking to fund their illegal activities,” she explained.
She said that over the last month, the DCI has seized drugs worth millions of shillings en route to different destinations and seen several suspects charged in court.
The Isiolo-Moyale highway has become a major transportation route but police have taken stringent measures to stop the illegal trade, she said.
