Drug barons using buses to ferry cargo, says Marwa

Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa has sounded the alarm that a cartel of drug barons in the country is using public bus companies plying Mombasa routes to ferry hard drugs to the county.
 
Speaking during a press briefing in Mombasa on Monday, Marwa said the cartel has devised ways of disguising the drugs as second-hand clothes, parcels and vegetables being ferried to Mombasa.

He said the cartel operates a powerful network of well connected people based in Mombasa and border points such as Kisumu, Busia and Isebania, adding that the government is aware of the operations and is zeroing in on the barons.

Marwa urged the bus companies to ensure that all parcels and cargo aboard the buses are thoroughly screened for drugs and other contraband goods, adding that the government will not hesitate to deal with any bus company found transporting drugs.

“We are aware of the cartel of drug barons. We understand that they pretend to ferry potatoes or second-hand clothes to Kongowea market and that is why we are asking bus companies to ensure that all their loads undergo thorough screening to ensure that PSV buses are not used to ferry hard drugs to Mombasa,” he said.

He said the government is determined to destabilise the supply demand chain in drugs by targeting the “big fish in drugs” adding that the government is aware that proceeds gained from drug trafficking are being used to fund radicalisation at the Coast.

“Let the barons be aware that the government is now determined to finish the drug market. Let the bus owners beware that the government will not relent on this mission and therefore they need to be on the lookout lest they find themselves in the mix,” said the commissioner.

Saying that drugs are injuring the reputation of Mombasa as the face of Kenya’s hospitality sector, Marwa warned that the government is aware of all the tricks used in drug trafficking and warned those involved that their time is up.

Drug trafficking is a serious problem in the country which saw US government list Kenya as a major conduit for deadly drugs such as cocaine from Asia and South America to Europe. The drug trade is said to be booming in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu.

On Monday two sons of the late notorious drug baron Ibrahim Akasha were arrested together with two Indian nationals in connection with 98 packets of heroin seized in Nairobi on November 7.