Sh9 million drugs seized at JKIA as probe launched

Bicycle saddles concealing Sh9 Million worth of methamphetamine seized at JKIA. [Standard, file]

A consignment of the methamphetamine drug, valued at Sh9 million, was intercepted at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday, October 4.

The drug, which had been concealed inside bicycle saddles, was destined for Jakarta, Indonesia from Moroni in Comoros, according to investigators.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said that the illicit substance was discovered by its detectives during a routine inspection at the DHL shed.

The consignment had been declared as bicycle accessories but upon examination, brown packages with a white crystalline substance were found hidden in eleven saddles, the officers said.

The substance tested positive for methamphetamine, a highly addictive and illegal stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

Methamphetamine is also known as crystal meth, ice, or shabu.

DCI said that it had launched an Interpol operation to track down and arrest the perpetrators of the drug trafficking scheme.

It also warned that Kenya would not tolerate any form of drug abuse or smuggling, regardless of the status of the offenders.

"The war against abuse and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances has heightened in the country, and the DCI warns that the Kenyan soil will remain a hostile ground for perpetrators, irrespective of their status in the country," said the DCI in a statement on X.