By S, KNA
A Mombasa court has ordered the detention of two people suspected to be involved in drug and child trafficking syndicate believed to be operating across Mombasa, Malindi and Nairobi for 10 more days to allow police to complete investigations.
Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo granted the prosecution the custodial order after making an appeal to conclude investigations which they claimed was at a critical stage.
The prosecution team had expressed fears that the suspect could compromise the evidence in the wake of rescued minors who were assisting the police to piece the evidence before full trial begins.
The suspects, Amir Latif and Ruhman Abubakar, were arrested during a coordinated operation led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) Mombasa. The multi-agency team acted on credible intelligence linking individuals to both narcotics and child trafficking.
During the raid in a house in Maweni estate, Nyali, officers recovered three sachets containing a granular substance suspected to be heroin. The substance weighed 109.17 grams and was valued at approximately Sh327, 510, according to an affidavit by PC Markton Obonyo of the DCI.
Preliminary investigations indicate the suspects are part of a larger network engaged in trafficking narcotics and children across Mombasa, Malindi, and Nairobi. Police suspect local and international links to the organised criminal activity.
The court authorized forensic examination of the mobile phones seized from the suspects. Prosecutors expect the devices to provide communication records, contacts, and digital evidence to identify additional syndicate members.
“The information that may be recovered from the electronic gadgets is likely to assist in unearthing the activities of this complex criminal syndicate,” Constable Obonyo stated in court documents.
Police informed the court that release on bail could enable the suspects to interfere with witnesses, including minors familiar to them, or abscond from jurisdiction. Continued custody is essential to avoid stalling investigations and ensure access to the digital devices.
The suspects face charges of trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, child trafficking, and conspiracy to defraud under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Penal Code.
Prosecutors submitted that the suspects would face no undue prejudice from detention further arguing that public interest in protecting vulnerable children and dismantling criminal networks outweighed immediate release.
This arrest and recovery underscore the DCI’s commitment to intelligence-led operations against drug and child trafficking, aimed at safeguarding minors and disrupting syndicates involved in these grave offences.