Police in Nakuru are holding nine suspected drug peddlers after a swoop on notorious crime hotspots across three slums in Nakuru town.
Addressing the press at the Bondeni Police station, Nakuru East Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Eric Wanyonyi said the suspects aged between 15 and 17 years were found with 100 sachets of cocaine with a street value of Sh30, 000, a kilogram of Cannabis Sativa worth Sh 40,000 and two mobile phones.
Wanyonyi said police believe the suspects are linked to a ring of hard-core criminals who have been striking terror among residents in Bondeni, Kivumbini and Kaptembwa slums over the last nine months.
The suspects currently held at Bondeni police station will be arraigned in court today to answer to charges of trafficking narcotic drugs.
The DCC expressed confidence that the suspects will provide police with leads to drug barons in Nakuru town.
He told reporters that preliminary findings established that the suspects are part of the notorious “Confirm” criminal gang in Nakuru town that has been defrauding unsuspecting citizens of their money using unregistered mobile phone numbers.
The arrests come amidst growing concern by area residents over a surge in criminal activities that residents have been reporting in the last few months.
The administrator commended security officers who conducted the raid terming the move a head start towards bursting organized crime in Nakuru and ensuring safe residences.
He noted that children who are out of school have become increasingly vulnerable to criminal groups following closure of schools in light of the Corona virus pandemic.
The DCC cautioned parents against abdicating their responsibilities to their children as a way of protecting them from unscrupulous adults out to mislead them.
On her part, Nakuru East Sub County Police Commander Elena Kabukuru said police in Nakuru will intensify patrols during the coming festive season to wipe out criminal gangs that are taking root in the country’s fourth largest town.
She observed that the use of narcotics in the informal settlements is increasingly negating efforts already put in place by the County and national governments to curb the spread of the Coronavirus as users, under the influence of the drugs, fail to observe the control measures.
By Jane Ngugi/Dennis Rasto
