Were they mere fishermen casting their nets into the deep sea or traffickers sailing towards Kenya intent on ensnaring a generation already reeling from the effects of drug and substance abuse?
This question hangs over the Sh8.2 billion methamphetamine case now before the Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa, as the hearing begins with testimony from Kenya Navy soldiers who intercepted a vessel christened MV Mashallah on the high seas beyond Kenya’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The naval officers recounted how they intercepted the suspicious vessel, which curiously, carried not a single piece of fishing equipment, despite its occupants claiming to be ordinary fishermen eking out a living in the high seas.
Lieutenant Colonel Job Gitonga told the court that as the search began, the narrative of local fishermen quickly unravelled. An onboard inspection led to the discovery of a substance that has now become the subject of a criminal trial involving Jasem Darzaen Nia, Nadeem Jadgai, Imran Baloch, Hassan Baloch, Rahim Baksh and Imtiyaz Daryayi.
“We discovered a white substance. The captain of the vessel claimed it was ice, but it was neither cold nor watery,” he said.
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
According to the charge sheet, the accused trafficked 1,036.044 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, a whitish crystalline substance valued at Sh8.2 billion.
The court heard that the offence was allegedly committed between October 11 and October 20, 2025, on the high seas at latitude 04°46.79′ south and longitude 041°27.42′ east, approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.
The prosecution further stated that the suspects were aboard an unregistered and stateless dark vessel thereby placing it under Kenya’s jurisdiction.
The suspects have denied the charges and are currently remanded at Shimo la Tewa Prison pending the hearing and determination of their case.
On Tuesday, the prosecution told the court that the evidence in its possession indicates that the six Iranian nationals found on board were not casting nets for fish, but were instead navigating a dark vessel deep into international waters with a massive cargo that brings nothing but misery to the local population.
Gitonga, the Commanding Officer of Kenya Navy Ship Jasiri, explained that the operation leading to the interception of the vessel was triggered by intelligence received from the Regional Coordination of Operations Centre (RCOC) based in Seychelles, which had flagged two suspected drug dhows operating in the Indian Ocean.
“Our headquarters received information on two vessels of interest, code-named Igor and Chevy, suspected to be involved in drug trafficking activities,” he said.
Gitonga told the court that on October 18, 2025, updated intelligence from the RCOC provided the precise coordinates, headings and speeds of the two vessels, enabling closer tracking and operational planning.
A formal tasking order was subsequently issued to KNS Shupavu, instructing the crew to locate, monitor and, if necessary, intercept the vessel codenamed Igor under a coordinated international maritime security framework.
“A tasking order was issued directing KNS Shupavu to intercept the vessel at a designated position in coordination with the RCOC under the Safe Seas Africa framework,” he said.
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
Upon receiving the orders, the naval team departed Mkunguni Jetty aboard KNS Shupavu and steamed eastwards towards the suspected vessel, a journey that took a day.
The interception was eventually made on October 20, 2025, at about 4.30pm, when the vessel was located approximately 350 nautical miles from the Port of Mombasa.
“The vessel did not respond to communication challenges due to lack of radio equipment. We boarded and conducted a search,” he said.
The vessel was not flying any national flag and lacked essential documentation, including a manifest or cargo list, raising further suspicion about its activities.
The six crew members on board were of Arab origin and could not provide satisfactory documentation to support their claims.
“The vessel was stateless, with no documentation, and the crew could not account for its cargo,” he said.
During the search, the officers discovered multiple containers of a white substance, carefully packaged and disguised.
The substance was stored in small containers wrapped to resemble food items, loosely packed in gunny bags and hidden in a compartment beneath the deck at the forward section of the vessel.
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 packages were concealed in a compartment below deck, wrapped in a manner intended to disguise their true contents,” he said.
Following the discovery, the naval officers secured the vessel and escorted it to the Port of Mombasa for further action.
The vessel and its crew were subsequently handed over to a multi-agency team for processing and investigations.
“We escorted and towed the vessel to Mombasa and handed it over to the relevant authorities for further investigation,” he said.
The prosecution opened its case by outlining allegations that the six accused persons were intercepted on the high seas while trafficking a large consignment of narcotics disguised as fishermen.
Addressing jurisdiction, the prosecution argued that although the arrest occurred outside Kenya’s territorial waters, the court has legal authority to hear the case.
This, they said, is grounded in Article 2(6) of the Constitution of Kenya, which incorporates international treaties into domestic law.
They relied on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), particularly provisions requiring states to cooperate in suppressing drug trafficking on the high seas and permitting coastal states to exercise criminal jurisdiction in such cases.
“Because this dark vessel was navigating near our territory with a massive shipment of methamphetamine, our Constitution and international law grant Kenya the sovereign right and the legal duty to prosecute these six men,” the prosecution said.
On the facts, the prosecution intends to demonstrate that the vessel was unregistered, stateless, and disguised as a fishing boat, and carried no fishing equipment, undermining claims that the accused were fishermen.
Instead, the state alleges the vessel was deliberately used to conceal illegal narcotics while navigating international waters near Kenya.
The prosecution further stated that a search of the vessel led to the recovery of 769 packets of methamphetamine, weighing over one tonne, a significant quantity intended for distribution.
“This is not a small stash; this is a massive shipment of a highly addictive, destructive drug. The evidence will show that these men were not casting nets for fish; they were navigating a dark vessel deep into international waters with a cargo that brings nothing but misery to our communities,” the prosecution said.
To support its case, the prosecution will call 12 witnesses, including intercepting naval officers, forensic experts and maritime specialists to establish the circumstances of the arrest, confirm the nature and quantity of the drugs, and explain why the voyage is consistent with organised trafficking.
The prosecution seeks to establish that the accused were knowingly involved in a coordinated trafficking operation and were not innocent fishermen.
On the anticipated defence that the foreign nationals were merely simple fishermen unaware of the contents of the vessel, the prosecution argued that the evidence will demonstrate otherwise.
It maintained that one does not find oneself deep in the high seas, miles away from one’s home country, in possession of 769 packets of methamphetamine by accident.
“We will demonstrate that these defendants were the operators of a deliberate trafficking mission,” the state said.
