Police in Kieni East Sub-county, Nyeri County have smashed a drug trafficking cartel at Chaka trading centre along the busy Nyeri-Nanyuki highway and arrested two suspects
The youthful suspects in their early twenties whom neighbours said were fresh university graduates were found packaging bhang in palatial residence with a street value of Sh1 million. They had allegedly dodged police dragnet for some time.
“We are here to confirm the great stride we have made in arresting these drug peddlers,” said Kieni East police commander Wilberforce Sichirani at the scene Friday.
Sichirani noted that the peddlers had been a menace in Nyeri town, Kieni East and the Nyeri County in general.
The police commander identified the suspects as Mbuthia Maina and Morris Maina who sources said were relatives from Ruring’u area in the outskirts of Nyeri town and had rented one of the rooms in the ground floor where they executed the vice.
He added that the suspects had fled Nyeri town where they were operating from Chaka, but detectives with cooperation from members the public managed to flush them out of the hideout.
He said it was difficult for one to know they were ferrying bhang as it was well wrapped and hidden in sacks of bananas, onions and potatoes.
The media found wrappers inside the room where the suspects were packaging bhang with names of the sender from Nairobi and receiver in Nyeri that probably would mean the bhang was being ferried from the city as parcels.
Sichirani said the suspects would be detained in police custody to help with investigations and arraigned in court when the exercise was completed.
He added that the drug was being ferried by a personal car and a motorbike, but the rider escaped the police dragnet, adding that the escapee won’t run away from the long arm of the law forever.
The police commander said the suspects were supplying bhang to Chaka, Nyeri, Karatina and Nanyuki towns adding that consumption of the drug was had recently increased in the area.
Sichirani thanked members of the public for passing vital information to the law agents, while warning against consumption of bhang for obvious harmful effects on a person’s health.
By Mwangi Gaitha
Police smash drug trafficking syndicate as two suspects arrested
