Two Tanzanians arrested with 20kg of high grade bhang on Mombasa Highway
In the latest bust, two Tanzanian nationals, Yunus Ali alias Dogo Yunus and Hemed Abdalla Hemed alias Chotara, were arrested along the Lunga Lunga-Mombasa Highway while ferrying 20kg of skank disguised as chicken feed.
The infiltration of skank, a high-grade bhang smuggled from southern Africa, is deepening Kenya’s drug crisis, with law enforcement moving to curb its flow into the country.
Skank is unpollinated cannabis plants which naturally contain higher levels of THC - the substance that gives recreational users the 'stoned' feelings they seek from the drug but can also cause nasty side effects, including paranoia and hallucinations.
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It is said to be a high-grade drug that is more expensive and harshly punishable by the new anti-narcotics laws
In the latest bust, two Tanzanian nationals, Yunus Ali alias Dogo Yunus and Hemed Abdalla Hemed alias Chotara, were arrested along the Lunga Lunga-Mombasa Highway while ferrying 20kg of skank disguised as chicken feed.
Two Tanzanians arrested with 20kg of high grade bhang on Mombasa Highway. (Farhiya Hussein)
The drugs, which had slipped past border security, were en route to a well-established Mombasa drug syndicate.
“We are dealing with a new crisis. Unlike heroin, which is becoming scarce due to tighter cross-border restrictions, skank is flooding the market and quickly becoming the drug of choice for many addicts, including school children,” said a senior anti-narcotics officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Authorities say the drug is trafficked in large shipments from Swaziland to South Africa’s ports before being ferried to Tanzania and into Kenya.
The arrested suspects, who had no valid passports, are being held at Msambweni Police Station pending their arraignment.
Security agencies warn that the rise of skank poses a severe threat, with its high potency and widespread availability fuelling addiction and crime across the coastal region.
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