Police arrest Nigerian with heroin

By CYRUS OMBATI

NAIROBI; KENYA: A Nigerian embroiled in a property tussle with his estranged wife has been seized in Nairobi with heroin.

Mr Anthony Chinedu was arrested in his house at the weekend with 10 grammes of heroin that he is believed to have either been using or wanted to traffic.

Nairobi Area head of CID Nicholas Kamwende said Chinedu was arrested on Saturday in an operation to get rid of narcotics in the city.

“He was arrested in his house after we were informed he had drugs that he either wanted to consume or traffic. We found more than 10 grammes of heroin,” said Kamwende.

He added the suspect is expected in court on Monday to face charges of possession and trafficking of the narcotics. Chinedu was spotted at the Kileleshwa police station where he was locked up since Saturday. Police did not allow journalists to talk to him.

The arrest followed an operation carried out on Wednesday night in the city centre in which two men including a Nigerian national were nabbed for trafficking heroin.

The men were identified as Nelson Namunyu Mwangi who was found with 268 grammes of heroin and Nigerian national Adebiyi Oluwatosin Fatai who had 20 grammes of the drugs.

They were arrested outside a popular club with the narcotics. Police say the two have been behind several incidents of drug trafficking in the city and they were expected in court again on Monday for mention of their case.

Cases of narcotics consumption are on the rise in the city and police are grappling with the situation.

Officers who were involved in the operation said several other mules managed to escape as they approached the scene. A major operation has been organised to nab the traffickers who are on the lose in the city.

Chinedu has been embroiled in a tussle over control of property with his estranged wife Ms Joyce Akinyi and had asked the court to wind up their business in the city and the proceeds shared between them.

The rival couple has court cases relating to their various properties and custody of their two children.

Chinedu has also in the past fought deportation charges by authorities and succeeded. Police handling the case said on Sunday they plan to apply for the deportation of Chinedu to his country based on the recovery and other past accusations.

Akinyi had in 2010 asked for the deportation of Chinedu on grounds that he was a danger to Kenya.

She wrote asking that "swift action... will be taken to ensure Kenyans are safe from any activities that Chinedu is alleged to have been involved in".

 There are close to seven cases between Akinyi and Chinedu pending in court. Former Immigration minister Gideon Konchella on June 19, 2007 directed that Chinedu be deported because he "is one of several foreigners in this country involved in the commission of serious crimes involving trade in narcotics and money laundering".

 But Chinedu moved to court on June 13, 2008 to stop his deportation.