Suspects: UK detectives planted Sh28m worth of heroin in our yacht

From Left: Ahmed Said Bakari, Clement, Mohammed Bakari, Shariff Mzee Mohammed and Ahmed Hussein Salim at a past court session in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

Four accused persons linked to the Sh28 million heroin haul seized from yacht now claim detectives from the UK planted the drugs in their boat. 

In their submission, the four said the heroin was recovered from the yacht five days after their arrest and it may have been planted by the UK detectives who recovered it.

"Drugs were allegedly recovered five days after the accused persons and Captain Serge Bristol were arrested and were in custody at Port Police Station," said their lawyer Jared Magolo.

He claimed the police could have planted the drugs as his clients were already in police custody. 

The lawyer said a search by the Kenyan police did not find the drugs in the yacht and questioned how the UK detectives were able to recover the same five days later.

“The finding was made after the vessel was in custody of unknown police officers or security forces for five days. The findings were made after several searches which yielded nothing and the so-called United Kingdom border officers who made the recoveries were never called as witnesses and they never even made any statements,” stated Magolo. 

Ahmed Said Bakari, Mohamed Bakari Mohamed, Sharifu Mzee Mohamed and Ahmed Hussein Salim  face two counts of trafficking 2028 grammes of heroin worth Sh6,084,000 concealed in a false black suitcase in a car (Reg No KCA 698).

The five are also charged with trafficking 7,600 grammes of heroin with a market value of Sh22,800,000 concealed under the water tank of Baby Iris Yatcht at a Boat Yard in Mnarani in Kilifi County on April 9 2015.