Kenyan authorities, with support from INTERPOL, have intercepted a massive shipment of methamphetamine in a high-seas operation, seizing more than one tonne of the drug and arresting six suspects aboard a flagless vessel. The operation marks one of the largest meth busts in the region in recent years.
The interception occurred on October 21, approximately 340 nautical miles east of Mombasa, when the Kenyan Navy stopped a dhow acting on intelligence shared by the Regional Narcotics Interagency Fusion Cell in Bahrain and the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) in Seychelles. The vessel was subsequently escorted to Mombasa three days later. There, a multi-agency command centre was established, led by the Deputy Commander of the Kenyan Navy, to coordinate the investigation and evidence handling.
INTERPOL played a critical role throughout the operation, overseeing cooperation between agencies, managing the crime scene, and ensuring all procedures met international standards. The careful coordination helped secure the operation’s success and ensured that all seized materials were properly documented.
Authorities recovered 769 packets of crystal meth, weighing a total of 1,024 kilograms. Laboratory tests conducted by Kenya’s Government Chemist confirmed the drug’s purity at 98%, with an estimated street value of KES 8 billion (approximately USD 63 million).
The six crew members on board the vessel were arrested and are now facing drug trafficking charges. Kenya’s Anti-Narcotics Unit has taken over the ongoing investigation, which aims to trace the shipment’s origin and dismantle the networks involved in smuggling methamphetamine through the Indian Ocean.
Officials hailed the operation as a demonstration of regional cooperation in combating transnational drug trafficking and emphasized the importance of intelligence sharing and rigorous enforcement in addressing the growing threat of methamphetamine in East Africa.
