The Anti-Narcotics Police Unit has turned its attention to seven mobile phones recovered from six Iranians arrested in the Indian Ocean with methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion.
Documents filed before a Shanzu court indicate that the State intends to conduct a forensic examination of the electronic gadgets recovered from Jasem Darzaen Nia, Nadeem Jadgai, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Baksh and Imtiyaz Daryayi, in a bid to trace the owner of the consignment.
The phones include two Redmi, a Vocal Vo Core, a Poco, a Realme, a Thuraya satellite phone and a GPS device, serial number 520244E1195, model XF-520. Inspector Shadrack Kemei has sought 30 days to carry out the forensic analysis and complete investigations.
“This court be pleased to issue orders authorising the applicant to detain for purposes of forensic examination electronic gadgets that were recovered during the arrest,” he stated in his affidavit.
The investigator has also requested an order compelling the foreigners to provide all unlock codes for the mobile phones to enable forensic examination.
The suspects were arrested after Kenya Navy officers intercepted a “dark vessel” operating without identification in the Indian Ocean.
Packages of substances weighing 1,035.986 kilograms suspected to be methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion at the Mombasa Port on October 25, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
The vessel was escorted to Kilindini Port on October 24, where officers, acting on a search warrant obtained from the Mombasa Law Courts, discovered 769 packages of crystalline substances weighing 1,035.986 kilogrammes, suspected to be methamphetamine.
In an affidavit sworn by Inspector Kemei, who is attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ Anti-Narcotics Unit, the officer said the seized drugs would be forwarded to the Government Chemist for analysis to confirm their composition.
Investigators believe that the mobile phones and satellite communication devices recovered from the suspects are key to unravelling the wider network behind the shipment.
Inspector Kemei has applied for 30 days to detain the six Iranians at the Port Police Station to enable completion of investigations, citing the complexity and transnational nature of the case.
The suspects appeared in court on Monday, but the prosecution requested time to verify the documents of an interpreter provided by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to ensure that he could carry out accurate and impartial translation.
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
State Counsel Anthony Musyoka told Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi that the prosecution had reservations about the interpreter’s competence.
“We do not disapprove of the interpreter’s competence for now; we only want to be sure of accuracy during translation and impartiality. We need time to interrogate his documents,” he said.
The magistrate directed that the suspects be detained for one more day to allow verification of the interpreter’s documents and to enable the court administrator to source an Iranian Balochi interpreter.
Police believe that the information expected from the gadgets could help identify the owner of the narcotics consignment, establish communication links between the suspects and possible accomplices in other countries, and expose financiers or syndicates behind the trafficking network.
Some of the six Iranian crew members under tight security after a seizure of narcotics aboard an Iranian Vessel worth Sh8.2billion some 650 km off the shore of Mombasa.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Inspector Kemei said preliminary investigations suggest that the suspects are part of a larger transnational organised crime syndicate responsible for trafficking synthetic narcotics across the Indian Ocean.
“The information that may be recovered from the electronic gadgets is likely to assist in the apprehension of more suspects,” he stated.
The officer noted that the suspects, believed to be Iranian nationals, are foreigners without fixed places of abode in Kenya, making them a flight risk if released on bail.
“Two of them lacked identification documents at the time of arrest, prompting police to seek assistance from the Immigration Department to confirm their nationalities,” he said.
The affidavit further revealed that investigators are arranging for interpreters to assist in the interrogation process since the respondents do not speak English or Kiswahili fluently.
Mr Kemei explained that the drugs’ high street value and the sophisticated concealment of the shipment indicate a well-coordinated international operation. He emphasised the need for the 30-day detention period to facilitate collaboration with local and foreign agencies, including the DCI headquarters in Nairobi, where the recovered phones and devices will be analysed.
“It is necessary that the respondents remain in custody as the investigation involves coordination with multiple agencies, laboratory analysis by the Government Chemist, and forensic examination at the DCI headquarters, all of which require time,” he said.
The investigator also cited the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act of 1994, under which the suspects are being investigated for trafficking in narcotic drugs, an offence punishable by life imprisonment.
He told the court that releasing the suspects at this stage could jeopardise ongoing efforts to dismantle the international drug network and interfere with crucial evidence contained in their mobile phones.
The Anti-Narcotics Unit has maintained that the case is unprecedented in scale and complexity, given the volume of the methamphetamine haul, estimated to be worth Sh8.2 billion on the black market, and the sophisticated methods used to evade maritime detection.
