Police in Marsabit on Thursday evening arrested three suspected drug traffickers among them two police officers and a woman at Laisamis on the Moyale–Isiolo highway.
And Marsabit County Police Commander Steve Oloo also said that a suspected gunrunner was arrested in Moyale town and a revolver recovered.
Mr Oloo told KNA that among those nabbed with 13.5 kilograms of bhang with a street value of Sh195, 000, were two police constables identified as Kennedy Munyao and Kelvin Gakinya from Sololo police station.
“The two were attached to Dambala-Fachana and Rawana police posts respectively, which are under the border situated Sololo police station,” said the county police commander who cautioned police officers against taking short cuts to riches.
The third suspect, identified as Karimi Joy Mathenge hailed from Mbeu location in Tigania West Sub-county of Meru County.
Mr Oloo said the war against crime in the border county has been heightened after it was established that proceeds from drug trafficking were being used to fund criminal activities.
A saloon veicle that was intercepted about two kilometers from Laisamis town by police officers on highway patrol carrying the contraband believed to have originated from neighbouring Ethiopia had the narcotics hidden in various parts.
The county police commander said nobody would be spared in the fight against crime and cautioned law enforcement agents as the custodians of the law against engaging in drug trafficking which the government has declared a total war against.
Citing two incidents in which a KDF officer and two prison warders were arrested trafficking in bhang, Mr Oloo expressed alarm that some law enforcement agents were engaging in the vice.
On Wednesday, the government imposed a ban on night operations of boda bodas along the Kenya-Ethiopia-Somalia border after it had been established that they were being used to ferry drugs and criminals across the border through panya routes.
Eastern Regional Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru said that proceeds from drug trafficking were being used to fund criminal activities including terrorism activities.
“Boda bodas are also being used to ease movement of criminals given their versatile and flexible nature,” said Mr Nakoru adding that the government was committed to eradicate hostile activities by bandits.
Mr Nakoru and his North Eastern counterpart Nick Ndalana had led top security teams in the region to lay strategies to curtail the narcotics menace.
Regarding the arrest in Moyale, Mr Oloo said a suspect identified as Jirmo Huka was arrested following a tip off from members of the public.
He added that the suspect was searched after which a pistol with four rounds of ammunition was recovered from him.
The suspects in the two incidents will be arraigned in court once the investigations are completed.
The impounded vehicle which is believed to belong to one of the police officers is detained at the Laisamis police station.
By Sebastian Miriti
