Suspected drug trafficker arrested in Mombasa, Sh1.7m recovered

Detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit have seized heroin valued at over half a million, millions in cash and four mobile phones from a suspected notorious trafficker based in Kisauni, Mombasa.

In a statement on Saturday, the police said the heroin weighed 169.18 grammes, with an estimated market price of Sh507,540, and that the cash amounted to Sh1.7 million. They said they also found US $3,610.

The recovery was made following a tip-off from members of the public.

"The arrest follows a joint intelligence-led operation conducted last night by DCI Anti-Narcotics teams and their Coast Region counterparts, at the home of one Salim Kilanga Mwinyi in Magongo, Kisauni Sub-county."

"During the raid, one male suspect, Mwinyi Seif Salim Kilanga was also nabbed, and the matter is under probe by DCI Moi Airport Mombasa," the statement reads in part.

Mwinyi Seif Salim commonly known as Mwinyi Marebe who was also nabbed with bhang, assorted packaging material and a weighing scale is said to have been competing with the late Yusuf Ahmed Swaleh aka Candy Rain aka Kendereni in the supply and distribution of hard drugs, especially with the dens located at Magodoroni and Arusini in Kisauni.

Part of the money that was recovered by the police from a suspected notorious trafficker based in Kisauni, Mombasa. (Photo: NPS)

Like the deceased, police say the suspect also relied on his relatives including his mother Mariam Hamisi, his two wives Fatuma Hamisi Angore and Salma Mohamed as well school going girls to do his distribution.

The two women have been previously arrested in possession of hard drugs and have ongoing cases in court.

The police have also classified Mwinyi’s family as dangerous and deeply rooted in the drug business with police records indicating their mother Mariam Hamisi who is almost 70 years of age is also involved in the drug business.

Multiple reports indicate that the coastal city is a major trafficking route for drugs coming from Asia and Latin America heading to Europe and other countries in the region.

As a result, it has also infiltrated the local drug-supply networks rendering thousands of addicted youth unproductive with the drug becoming a street drug in Mombasa for more than two decades.

The killing of Kendereni in February, one of the well-known heroin traffickers with links to the infamous Akasha brothers was largely viewed as a major win in bringing an end to his growing drugs empire and his growing fame as Mombasa'a new "drug kingpin" following the jailing of the Akasha brothers in the United States.

Baktash Akasha and his brother Ibrahim Akasha were arrested by detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit in 2014, after providing 99 kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of methamphetamine to US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informants posing as drug traffickers of a South American drug cartel.

Part of the heroin that was recovered by the police from a suspected notorious trafficker based in Kisauni, Mombasa. (Photo: NPS)

Despite the successive wins that have resulted in the arrests of major heroin traffickers, insiders claim the drug is still in supply as more court cases have emerged with new suppliers including women.

In a similar raid on April 8, 2024, the detectives backed by a specialised team also made a surprise raid at the house of a hardcore female bhang distributor in Kilifi by the name Lavender Ayoti.

The suspect who has for a time enjoyed the support of the local police who she could issue handouts to avoid getting arrested in previous raids was warned over her involvement in the trade.

Police records reveal Lavender was shocked by the presence of the new team who appeared ruthlessly and uncompromisable since she is used to giving handouts to the local police.

The team has vowed never to relent in the fight against drug trafficking in the region and advised the traffickers to surrender.