The methamphetamine haul when it was seized in October 2025 in MombasaTop security officials will converge in Mombasa on Thursday for the destruction of an Sh8.2 billion methamphetamine haul seized in the Indian Ocean.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen will lead the exercise, which officials said will send a strong message to drug traffickers operating in the region.
The destruction comes as the case against six Iranian nationals accused of trafficking more than one tonne of methamphetamine proceeds at the Shanzu Law Courts.
The court was told that destroying the drugs was the safest option while the case continues.
The six suspects are Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay.
They are charged with trafficking 1,036.044 kg of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh8.2 billion.
The prosecution recently secured a major breakthrough after Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi ruled that the six have a case to answer.
The magistrate found that the prosecution had established a prima facie case, paving the way for the suspects to be placed on their defence under Section 211 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The decision came after the prosecution presented 12 witnesses and closed its case.
The six are charged with trafficking in narcotic drugs contrary to Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.
According to the prosecution, the accused, jointly with others, conveyed the consignment aboard the vessel Mashaallah, which was allegedly unregistered and stateless.
The vessel was intercepted on the high seas while carrying the suspected narcotics.
The alleged offence occurred between October 17 and 20, 2025, in international waters.
Magistrate Mwicigi noted the unusual nature and scale of the case, observing that the evidence presented before the court originated from the high seas and involved a vessel allegedly carrying more than one tonne of methamphetamine.
The source and intended destination of the haul have never been revealed by officials.
The seizure followed an operation on October 21, 2025, when the Kenyan Navy intercepted a dhow about 340 nautical miles east of the Mombasa coast.
The operation followed intelligence shared between the Regional Narcotics Interagency Fusion Cell (RNIFC) in Bahrain and the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) in Seychelles.
Three days later, the vessel was brought to Mombasa, where a multi-agency coordination centre was established under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commander of the Kenyan Navy.
Interpol coordinated operational support from the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which deployed two officials to assist with the search operations and communication with the crew.
Authorities recovered 769 packets of a crystal substance weighing 1,024kg.
Forensic analysis by the government chemist confirmed the substance was methamphetamine with a purity level of 98 per cent.
The prosecution is led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi, Principal Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema and Prosecution Counsel Henrietta Mburu.
