Six Iranians at Shanzu court/DPP Six Iranian nationals have been put on their defence over the alleged trafficking of more than one tonne of methamphetamine valued at Sh8.2 billion after a Shanzu court found that they have a case to answer.
Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay.
The ruling followed the conclusion of the prosecution's case after 12 witnesses testified in the trial.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said the six are facing charges of allegedly trafficking more than 1,000 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, with the consignment estimated to have a street value of approximately Sh8.2 billion.
The accused will now be required to respond to the prosecution evidence under Section 211 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The DPP said the six allegedly conveyed the narcotics aboard a vessel, which was described as unregistered and stateless.
“The six are charged with trafficking 1,036.044 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh8.2 billion,” the ODPP said in a statement.
The alleged offence is said to have occurred between October 17 and 20, 2025, on the high seas.
According to evidence presented during the trial, the vessel was intercepted after Kenyan authorities received intelligence about a suspicious ship in the Indian Ocean.
Investigators later searched the vessel and allegedly recovered packets containing a white crystalline substance which was identified as methamphetamine.
The prosecution told the court that a subsequent search uncovered 769 packets of the substance concealed in six of the vessel's seven compartments.
A government-supervised weighing exercise put the total weight of the recovered substance at 1,036.044 kilogrammes.
The prosecution also presented evidence from forensic examination of five mobile phones and four SIM cards recovered from the vessel.
Investigators told the court that the consignment had allegedly been loaded at Pozm Port in Iran and was destined for Mauritius.
The six initially pleaded guilty to the charges before later withdrawing their pleas.
In January 2026, the accused asked the court to have the charge read afresh, saying they had not fully understood the charge when they initially admitted it.
After the charge was re-read, all six pleaded not guilty, paving the way for the full trial.
At the time, the prosecution opposed their release on bond, arguing that the accused were foreign nationals without known local residence or reliable contacts in Kenya and could therefore be a flight risk.
The court subsequently denied bond and ordered that they remain in custody pending the hearing and determination of the case.
The case will now proceed to the defence stage following the court's finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case requiring the accused to respond.
