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NACADA arrests 2, seizes Sh2m bhang in Mtwapa crackdown

Some of the 435 rolls of bhang that NACADA officials seized in a crackdown in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, on February 10, 2024. (Photo: X/ NACADA Kenya)

By Mary Wambui | 11 Feb 2024

Sources placed the street value of the confiscated bhang at about Sh2 million but the NACADA boss said this had not yet been verified.

The anti-drug abuse authority has arrested two people and seized 435 rolls of bhang in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, in its ongoing crackdown on illicit drugs and other substances.

The two were arrested on Saturday night on suspicion of involvement in the business, one as a wholesaler with links extending to Malindi, and the other as a distributor or frequent consumer.

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The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), through its chief executive Anthony Omerikwa, said the crackdown found the main distributor and that the person will soon be arrested.

"We will pursue these individuals to make sure that this menace is reduced to a very insignificant level. All efforts are geared towards having a reduced demand and supply of drugs," Omerikwa said.

CEO @omerikwa addresses members of the press after an operation in Mtwapa, Kilifi County that led to the apprehension of suspected drug traffickers who were caught with over 400 rolls of what is suspected to be cannabis sativa. @omerikwa @mwangi_simons @AnneMathu @ckahiu… pic.twitter.com/2pxZhORCjK
— NACADA Kenya (@NACADAKenya) February 11, 2024

Sources placed the street value of the confiscated bhang at about Sh2 million but the NACADA boss said this had not yet been verified.

"The government's stand on drugs is that they should not be in the country. their use is also not allowed," Omerikwa said and called on Kenyans to share useful information with the police and other authorities.

"We have had a word with one of the parents who lives around this area and he has given us a very profound story of how these drugs have affected his son. Indeed, it is very unfortunate that these illegal drugs continue to be distributed amongst our youth and people living around this area," he also said.

In the last five years, bhang consumption in the country has gone up by 90 per cent, according to research released by NACADA in 2022.

"Nearly a million Kenyans are using cannabis sativa, that is one in every 53 people," Omerikwa said.

Several motorcycles were also seized during the multi-agency crackdown that involved officers from the Mtwapa Police Station. It is suspected they are used to transport bhang and other illicit substances within the coastal region.

The incident comes two days after NACADA officials seized 750 litres of ethanol during a crackdown in Ruaka, Kiambu County.

The operation on Wednesday involved officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the National Police Service.

"Operating on intelligence, the team also recovered over 40 empty drums with a capacity of 250 litres each, suspected to have contained the ethanol which is suspected to have already been ferried for illegal activities," NACADA said in a statement.

In Kirinyaga County last week, 13 people died while at least five suffered temporary blindness after drinking illicit alcohol.

NACADA appealed to the public to give information, via its toll-free line 1192 and other means, on the illegal manufacturing, distribution, or sale of drugs and suspicious alcohol.