Bhang rolls in phone boxes/ DCI XA 25-year-old man has been arrested in Busia after detectives allegedly found 1,121 rolls of bhang concealed in mobile phone boxes.
The suspect was intercepted by officers from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) as he prepared to board a Nairobi-bound bus.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the arrest followed intelligence received by detectives that narcotic drugs were being transported to the capital.
“Acting on a tip-off that narcotic drugs were being ferried to the capital, officers from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) swung into action,” the DCI said.
Detectives intercepted the suspect and searched the small bag he was carrying.
The bag appeared to contain mobile phone boxes, but the officers discovered that the boxes were empty of phones.
“His small bag looked harmless enough, but a search told another story,” the DCI said.
The agency said the bag contained seven mobile phone boxes stuffed with rolls of bhang.
“Inside were seven mobile phone boxes, and not a single handset was inside among them. Instead, they were stuffed with 1,121 rolls of bhang,” the DCI said.
The suspect was arrested, and detectives secured the suspected drugs as exhibits.
He was taken to Busia Police Station, where he was being processed ahead of his arraignment in court.
The arrest comes weeks after two people were arrested in Kitui over suspected trafficking of cannabis sativa following the interception of two separate consignments at Kitui Police Station and along the Thika-Garissa Highway.
According to the DCI, the first suspect was arrested at Kitui Police Station after officers discovered bhang hidden inside a parcel of rice allegedly intended for a remandee.
The agency said the suspect attempted to take the parcel through the police station gates, but officers conducting checks noticed something unusual and inspected its contents.
“Sharp-eyed officers on duty peeled back the rice to expose 69 rolls of bhang and 33 matchsticks hidden within a parcel of rice meant for the inmate,” the DCI said.
The suspect was arrested at the station and taken into custody.
In a separate incident, police intercepted another suspected narcotics consignment along the Thika-Garissa Highway at Kanyonyoo.
The DCI said a multi-agency security team manning a roadblock stopped a Public Service Vehicle travelling from Kitui to Embu during routine security checks.
Officers searched the vehicle’s luggage and discovered a pink briefcase in the rear boot.
The briefcase was allegedly linked to the second suspect, who was travelling in the vehicle.
“Inside lay 13 bales of cannabis sativa, tightly wrapped in yellow sealing tape,” the agency stated.
The second suspect was arrested at the scene.
The arrests add to law enforcement agencies’ efforts to disrupt the transportation and distribution of narcotics across the country.
