Kenyan detectives have seized 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine valued at approximately KSh3.6 billion in an intelligence-led anti-narcotics operation in Kwale County, leading to the arrest of three suspects, including a man described as a suspected drug baron wanted in Kenya and Tanzania.
The seizure, announced by the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, on Monday, November 9, 2026, followed a coordinated operation involving Kenyan and Tanzanian security agencies, highlighting growing regional cooperation in the fight against international drug trafficking.
Addressing journalists at the Coast Regional Police Headquarters in Mombasa, Amin said intelligence shared between the two countries enabled a multi-agency team led by detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) to arrest two suspects on November 7 at Shirazi Village in Kwale.
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The suspects were identified as Basleman Saleh Khamis, described by investigators as a suspected drug baron wanted in both Kenya and Tanzania, and Nakabugo Zuraicah, a 37-year-old Ugandan national.
Further investigations led detectives to Ganja la Simba Village in Kinondo, where a targeted search uncovered 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine. A third suspect, identified as Hamad Seif Said, a 54-year-old Tanzanian national, was arrested during the operation.
Police also seized two motor vehicles and a motorcycle believed to be connected to the operation.
The three suspects remained in police custody as investigations continued.
Amin, who addressed the media on behalf of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, described the recovery as a significant breakthrough in the country’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks through intelligence gathering, specialised investigations and cross-border security cooperation.
Crackdown on Drug Trafficking Networks
The latest seizure comes amid an intensified national crackdown on narcotics trafficking, with the government seeking to dismantle not only street-level distribution networks but also the financiers and organisers behind the illegal trade.
Amin said the government had elevated the fight against narcotics and illicit alcohol to a national security priority, prompting the DCI to transform the former Anti-Narcotics Unit into the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB).
As part of the restructuring, 208 officers from the Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service were recruited into the bureau in April 2026.
NANIB has also established 40 additional stations and trained 314 new and existing officers in specialised anti-narcotics investigations at the National Criminal Investigations Academy in Nairobi.
The latest operation adds to a series of major drug interceptions by Kenyan security agencies.
In September 2026, authorities oversaw the destruction of 1,036 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at approximately KSh8.2 billion, which had been intercepted aboard the vessel MV Mashaallah in the Indian Ocean in October 2025.
According to Amin, between January and October 2026, NANIB recovered various narcotic substances, including cannabis, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and amphetamine, with a combined estimated value of KSh779.6 million.
During the same period, 1,631 suspects were arrested in connection with narcotics-related offences. Kenya News Agency +1
The DCI director also highlighted progress in prosecuting drug trafficking suspects, citing a case in Iten where a convicted individual was fined KSh24 million or sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He further noted that the High Court had upheld sentences imposed on three individuals convicted in 2025 over the trafficking of cannabis.
Amin said investigators were increasingly working with the Asset Recovery Agency to trace and pursue assets believed to have been acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking, including money, vehicles, land and businesses.
He acknowledged the support of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, as well as cooperation from other security and investigative agencies.
The DCI chief also called on members of the public to share information with security agencies, stressing that cooperation between communities and law enforcement remained critical in identifying and dismantling organised criminal networks.
He reaffirmed the National Police Service’s commitment to sustaining the anti-narcotics campaign, while assuring Kenyans that security agencies were prepared to maintain security during the festive season and ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The latest Kwale operation places renewed focus on the regional dimension of drug trafficking, with authorities increasingly relying on intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations to pursue suspected networks operating across national borders.
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