Police nab notorious drug trafficker carrying bhang on Mombasa highway
The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Michael Charles Chacha, was arrested while travelling in a public service vehicle.
A notorious drug trafficker has been apprehended along the Voi-Mombasa Highway with 40 kilograms of 'skank', a potent form of cannabis smuggled from southern Africa, in what authorities are calling a major breakthrough in ongoing anti-narcotics operations.
The suspect, identified as 47-year-old Michael Charles Chacha, was arrested while travelling in a public service vehicle.
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According to police, the drugs were hidden in a suitcase and had reportedly passed undetected through the Taveta border point before being intercepted en route to a drug cartel operating in Mombasa.
The dramatic arrest unfolded in full view of passengers, some of whom commended the officers for their swift and discreet action.
“We are confronting a fast-growing menace. Skank is flooding the local market, replacing harder-to-smuggle substances like heroin.
"What’s alarming is how widespread its use has become even though schoolchildren are falling prey,” said a senior anti-narcotics officer who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing investigations.
Authorities believe the narcotic originates from the Kingdom of Eswatini and is trafficked through South African ports into Tanzania, before finding its way into Kenya.
Investigators say Chacha has long operated a network of distributors across the Coast region, earning him notoriety among law enforcement officials who have been trailing him for months.
He is currently in custody at the Coast Regional Police Headquarters and is expected to be arraigned on Monday to face drug trafficking charges.
Security agencies have raised concern over the growing popularity of skank, warning that its high potency and ease of access are fuelling rising rates of addiction in coastal counties.
“This arrest is a clear message to traffickers, we are watching, and we will act,” added the officer.
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