Kenya Police Seize 454kg of Methamphetamine Worth Ksh3.6 Billion in Kwale
Police in Kenya have seized 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine worth an estimated Ksh3.6 billion in Kwale County, in one of the biggest drug busts on the country’s coast this year.
The drugs were recovered on Sunday, 8 November 2026, during a multi-agency operation led by the National Anti-Narcotics Bureau (NANB) Coast Region team in Msambweni Sub-County, near the border with Tanzania.
Three people were arrested during the operation in Kwale: two Tanzanian nationals and a Ugandan woman. A fourth suspect had already been arrested in Tanzania three days earlier, and his arrest is what led police to the drugs.
How the operation unfolded
According to Kenya’s National Police Service, the investigation began with the arrest of 45-year-old Tanzanian national Basleman Saleh Khamis by Tanzanian authorities on 5 November, over alleged drug trafficking.
Khamis was handed over to Kenyan police at the Lunga Lunga–Horohoro border crossing. During questioning, he led officers to a house in Shirazi Village, in the Kingwede Shirazi area of Msambweni, and then to a second location in Ganja la Simba village, in the Kinondo area.
A search of the second house uncovered packages of suspected narcotics weighing 454 kilogrammes. A third suspect, 54-year-old Tanzanian national Hamad Seif Said, was arrested at the scene.
Police also seized two motor vehicles and a motorcycle believed to be connected to the operation. The drugs and vehicles have been secured as exhibits, and the suspects have been taken to the NANB Coast regional headquarters in Mombasa.
Why it matters
The operation followed intelligence linking the suspects to a separate seizure of 259 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine and cocaine in Tanzania. Police say the two seizures point to an international trafficking network moving drugs across the Kenya–Tanzania border.
Kenya’s southern coast sits on a known trafficking route, with drugs moved by land and sea. The National Police Service said the operation followed directives from Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to take decisive action against narcotics through a multi-agency approach.
What happens next
The four suspects remain in police custody while investigations continue. Detectives are working to establish where the drugs came from, where they were headed, and who else was involved.
Laboratory tests will confirm whether the substance is methamphetamine. The suspects are expected to be charged in court once investigations are complete.
Sources
- Citizen Digital, “Three arrested as police seize suspected drugs worth Ksh3.6B in Kwale”, 8 November 2026: https://citizen.digital/article/three-arrested-as-police-seize-suspected-drugs-worth-ksh36b-in-kwale-n393516
- Capital FM, “Police seize 454kg of suspected methamphetamine worth Sh3.6bn in Kwale”, 8 November 2026: https://capitalfm.africa/police-seize-454kg-of-suspected-methamphetamine-worth-sh3-6bn-in-kwale/
- Kenyans.co.ke, “Police recover 454kg suspected methamphetamine worth Ksh3.6 billion, 3 arrested”, 8 November 2026: https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/129229-police-recover-454kg-suspected-methamphetamine-worth-ksh36-billion-3-arrested
- Eastleigh Voice, “Sh3.6 billion meth seized in Kwale as Kenya-Tanzania drug bust nets 454kg”, 8 November 2026: https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/coast/421260/sh36-billion-meth-seized-in-kwale-as-kenya-tanzania-drug-bust-nets-454kg
- Nairobi Leo, “4 suspects arrested as police recover drugs worth Ksh3.6 billion in Kwale”, 8 November 2026: https://nairobileo.co.ke/news/article/31343/4-suspects-arrested-as-police-recover-drugs-worth-ksh36-billion-in-kwale
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
