Six Iranian nationals have pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine worth about Ksh8.2 billion. They were arraigned at Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa today and will return to court on January 30. Their dhow was seized in the Indian Ocean on October 26, 2025.
Six Iranian nationals arrested for trafficking 1,036.044 kilograms of methamphetamine pleaded guilty when arraigned at Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa on January 12, 2026. The court ordered them detained at Shimo La Tewa GK Prison until Friday, January 30, when the case facts will be read.
Their dhow was intercepted 630 kilometers east of Mombasa's coast by a joint team including the DCI, Kenya Navy, Kenya Coast Guard, and NACADA. It was tracked by Kenyan security after alerts from regional and international partners about a suspicious vessel in the Western Indian Ocean.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin noted the boat was stateless with no flags, and its destination remains under investigation. "It may be too early for me to say that the destination was point A or B; it is still under investigation, but certainly it was destined anywhere in this region," Amin said.
The DCI stated this case underscores the commitment to dismantle transnational narcotics networks and shield the nation from illicit drugs' harms. Detectives vowed to relentlessly target all criminal networks, particularly drug trafficking ones.
