Police in the coastal region have arrested 27 suspects and seized narcotics worth an estimated street value of Sh51.5 million in a three-month crackdown on drug trafficking.
Coast Regional Police Commander (RPC) Ali Nuno said the sting operations, carried out between April and June 2026, led to the recovery of 10,700 kilograms of cannabis sativa, 7,000 grams of heroin, 1,330 grams of cocaine and 205 grams of Methamphetamine.
Nuno was speaking at the Coast Regional Police Headquarters in Mombasa, where he said the crackdown had also netted five suspected drug barons and ten carriers among those arrested.
“We have made very robust operations, we are on top of things,” said Nuno, adding that the operations were carried out based on actionable intelligence reports.
The police chief disclosed that the law enforcement agencies will continue with their aggressive crackdowns on illicit drug networks.
In one of the most significant recent busts, Nuno said officers last week arrested a 67-year-old man at Moi International Airport in Mombasa as he attempted to board a flight to Dubai.
He said a thorough search led to the recovery of 44 pellets of cocaine that the suspect had swallowed and was carrying in his stomach with an estimated street value of Sh1.5 million.
Nuno said the operations will continue in a bid to dismantle drug kingpins involved in trafficking narcotics such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine and curb youth substance abuse.
The regional police boss said the suspect was arrested and taken to a place of isolation, where the pellets were recovered, adding that a subsequent search of the suspect’s home turned up a further 16 pellets, bringing the total haul to 60 pellets.
He revealed that the elderly suspect remains in custody as the case awaits determination in court.
Nuno identified Ethiopia, through the Moyale border point in the country’s north, as a key entry route for narcotics trafficked into Kenya, alongside supply lines from the western region, saying the two routes remained a major focus of ongoing security operations.
He said the crackdown targeted people suspected of involvement in the illicit drug trade regardless of their station in life, warning that the vice threatened the future of young people in the region.
“We cannot allow to lose generations just because of somebody making profit out of it and so we will not relent in the war against drug trafficking,” he said.
Despite the scale of the seizures, the police commander sought to reassure residents and visitors that security along the coastal region remained tight, emphasizing that the crackdown was, in part, aimed at protecting Mombasa’s standing as a leading tourist and investment hub.
“Rest assured, the people of the coastal region, that the security situation is under control. Please leave it to me,” he said.
Nuno noted that the region had not recorded a single insecurity incident involving a tourist in the past two years and had registered its highest bed occupancy last year, figures he attributed to sustained security operations, including the fight against drug trafficking.
“As you know, the coastal region remains the preferred tourist destination and for the past two years, we have not had any single incident involving a tourist, not even one,” he said
He appealed to both local and international tourists to continue visiting the coast, and called on investors to consider the region for investment opportunities.
“I want to appeal to tourists, both local and international, please come to your preferred tourist destination. Everything is under control, safe and secure,” said Nuno.
He went on “I also want to appeal to investors that they should come and invest in the coastal region. It is safe and secure for investment.”
By Joan Kinuthia
