The Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) officers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine valued at Sh10.56 million on Wednesday morning, May 6, in a major anti-narcotics operation.
The operation was led by ANU officers based at the airport, working alongside a multi-agency team.
The team carried out a verification exercise at the United Parcel Service (UPS)-G4S facility located within the Kenya Airways (KQ) cargo shed.
According to investigators, the parcel was destined for Las Piñas in the Philippines and had been deceptively declared as containing handmade bags and clothes.
However, a thorough inspection revealed a concealed stash of white crystalline substances hidden inside two handbags and wrapped in clear packaging.
Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine weighing approximately 1,320 grams, with an estimated street value of Sh10,560,000.
The drugs were seized and secured as evidence, while detectives have launched investigations to identify and apprehend those behind the attempted trafficking.
Police said they are determined o dismantling drug trafficking networks through intelligence-led operations and coordinated efforts among security agencies.
Last week on April 27, police at the airport also intercepted two consignments. During a multi-agency verification exercise, suspected narcotic drugs were found.
Police found the narcotics to be methamphetamine valued at Sh21 million.
According to the police, the operation was conducted on April 27, 2026, at the DHL cargo shed. It involved officers from ANU and other stakeholders.
The first shipment, originating from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was destined for the Philippines. It had been declared as car piston samples.
Upon inspection, officers discovered a whitish crystalline substance concealed within the package.
Preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine, weighing approximately 1,730 grams with an estimated street value of Sh13.84 million.
The second shipment was from Juja Sub-County in Kiambu County, also destined for the Philippines. Upon opening the three packages, officers discovered a clear crystalline substance hidden in false compartments.
The substance similarly tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing about 1,020 grams with a street value of Sh8.16 million.
Past methamphetamine interceptions
Last year, security teams intercepted a vessel in the Indian Ocean carrying methamphetamine worth over Sh8.2 billion. The interception led to the arrest of six Iranians.
The boat was tracked 630 kilometers east of Mombasa before being escorted to the port. There, the seized substance tested positive for narcotics.
Officials discovered 769 packages of crystalline substance that weighed 124,253 kilograms of what came out to be methamphetamine.
In 2019, the then European Union Ambassador to Kenya Simon Mordue, said the Kenyan Port of Mombasa accounted for 30 per cent of illegal heroin smuggled into the EU market.
Most of the heroin in the country originates from Afghanistan through the Indian Ocean while cocaine originates from South America.
Kenyan authorities seized the second-biggest haul of cocaine weighing 100 kilos and valued at Sh598 million in 2016 in Mombasa which was disguised as sugar. The case was however later dismissed in court.
Featured image: DCI on X
