The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advanced the trial of six Iranian nationals accused of trafficking narcotics valued at Sh8.2 billion on the high seas by presenting the first witness in court.
The suspects, Jasem Darzadeh Nia, Rahim Baksh Goharam, Hassan Baloch, Imran Baloch Mustafa, Nadeem Jadgal Abdulgani and Emtiyaz Daryayi, are facing charges related to the trafficking of the consignment.
Appearing before Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi, the prosecution said it will call 12 witnesses to prove its case against the six men.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi told the court that Kenya has jurisdiction to handle the matter under both the Constitution and international law.
“The vessel was not engaged in legitimate activity but in an organised trafficking operation,” Kimanthi said.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema led the testimony of the first witness, Kenya Navy Lieutenant (Lt.) Colonel Joab Gitonga.
Lt. Col Gitonga detailed how a carefully coordinated multinational operation led to the interception of the suspects’ vessel deep in the Indian Ocean.
He told the court that the operation was conducted through the Regional Coordination Operations Centre, a maritime security hub established to combat transnational crime in the region.
Lt. Col Gitonga said that on October 17, 2025, the Kenya Navy received intelligence regarding two suspicious vessels, MV Igor and MV Chevy.
Authorities tracked MV Igor, which was believed to be heading towards the East African coast. With support from a Seychelles Coast Guard patrol aircraft, the vessel was intercepted on October 20, 2025, approximately 350 nautical miles off the Kenyan Coast.
The court heard that the dhow, later identified as Mashallah, had no flag, failed to respond to radio calls and appeared to be drifting, which raised suspicion of illicit activity. A boarding team of marine commandos found six crew members carrying Iranian identification documents but no registration papers for the vessel.
A subsequent search uncovered 769 packets of a white crystalline substance, initially suspected to be “ice” and later confirmed to be methamphetamine, weighing over one tonne.
The vessel was escorted to Mombasa and handed over to a multi-agency team for further investigations.
by Sadik Hassan
