Six Iranian nationals who pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion two weeks ago have made a U-turn and denied involvement in the drug trade.
Jasem Darzaen Nia, Nadeem Jadgai, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Baksh and Imtiyaz Daryayi changed their plea from guilty to not guilty after more than two months at Port police station, where they had been remanded pending the reading of facts and sentencing.
On Friday, the suspects, one after the other, informed the Shanzu Magistrate’s Court that they wished to change their plea, saying they had not properly understood the charges when they initially admitted the offence. They asked the court to have the charges read to them afresh so they could respond from a point of understanding.
After the charges were read again, all six pleaded not guilty.
The change of plea altered the court’s earlier plan to conduct its session at the Kenya Navy base in Mtongwe, where the suspects were to be sentenced. The court had scheduled the reading of facts and reweighing of the drugs at the military facility, where both the vessel and the consignment are held under round-the-clock security.
The reweighing had been ordered after the suspects contested the quantity of drugs stated in the charge sheet, arguing that it did not match what was found in their possession. However, following the change of plea, the court abandoned the planned visit to the scene.
Kenya Navy soldiers linked to 24kg meth valued at Sh192m detained for 10 days
A plea of not guilty means the case will now proceed to a full trial, with the prosecution expected to call witnesses and produce evidence, including the exhibits, to prove its case against the foreigners.
The six have been in remand since October 19, when they were arrested in the Indian Ocean and their vessel, named Mashalah, was escorted to the Kenya Navy base for safe keeping as investigations into the source and destination of the consignment continued.
They are charged under Section 4(a)(1) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act No. 4 of 1994, as amended by the 2022 amendment Act.
According to the charge sheet, the accused trafficked 1,036.044 kilograms of methamphetamine, a whitish crystalline substance valued at Sh8.2 billion.
Prosecutors told the court that the offence was committed between October 11 and October 20, 2025, on the high seas at latitude 04 degrees 46.79 seconds south and longitude 041 degrees 27.42 seconds east, about 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.
They said the suspects were aboard an unregistered and stateless dark vessel named Mashaalah, placing it under Kenya’s jurisdiction.
After the plea change, the prosecution opposed their release on bond, arguing that they were foreigners with no known local address or contact persons and were therefore likely to flee if granted bail due to the seriousness of the offence and the heavy penalties it attracts.
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.
Photo credit: Brian Ocharo | Nation Media Group
The court ordered that they remain remanded at Shimo La Tewa Prison. It also directed that a pro bono advocate be appointed at State expense to represent the six Iranians.
When they were first arraigned, the suspects had pleaded guilty but disputed the quantity of drugs cited in the charge sheet. Through an interpreter, they admitted the offence but claimed the drugs weighed about 800 kilograms, arguing that investigators had included the weight of packaging materials.
They also claimed the substance was legal in their country and was not intended for abuse, saying it was used to keep people awake. They denied that it was comparable to hard drugs such as cocaine or heroin and rejected claims that the consignment exceeded one tonne.
They further told the court that colleagues had previously been arrested in France with similar substances and later released, questioning why the case was being prosecuted in Kenya.
In response, prosecutors said the accused were confusing the number of packages with the actual weight, explaining that officers recovered 769 intact packages, which were weighed as found.
The case is also linked to a separate prosecution involving former Kenya Navy personnel and civilians accused of siphoning part of the consignment valued at Sh330 million during the deep-sea operation.
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
Court documents show that the officers, who have since been relieved of their duties, allegedly diverted 38,756 grams of crystalline methamphetamine from the larger consignment during the operation conducted on October 19 last year.
Those charged include Juma Mwinyifaki, Peter Kipngetich Tonui, Duke Nyamwaya, Elijah Mbogo, James Ekiru, Abdirahman Abdi Kuno, Michael Peter Kariuki and Abdulrehman Salad Jara, alongside civilians Mustafa Salim Johari and Dinah Moraa Obwocha.
Mwinyifaki is accused of trafficking 2,601 grams of narcotics valued at Sh20.8 million, allegedly hidden in a bush at Mtongwe Barracks. Tonui and Johari face conspiracy charges linked to 6,194 grams valued at Sh49.5 million.
Nyamwaya, Moraa and Mbogo are charged with conspiring to traffic 14,321 grams worth Sh114.6 million, with additional trafficking charges involving smaller quantities allegedly stored in houses. Ekiru and Kuno face conspiracy charges involving 1,319 grams valued at Sh10.5 million, while Kariuki and Jara face charges linked to 2,535 grams valued at about Sh20.2 million.
