Kenyan police nab 200 suspected drug traffickers

Kenya's security agents have arrested over 200 suspected drug traffickers and seized drug haul worth million of shillings in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The security operation is part of the drugs, crime and terror crackdown ordered in the tourist resort region by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week.

Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa told Xinhua in Mombasa that a special unit has been established to pursue drug lords behind the smuggling of narcotics.

Marwa said the security apparatus have mapped out notorious drug dens and they will be shut down soon.

"We have laid down strategy to deal with the drug menace and soon the drug dealers will be arrested and prosecuted," he said.

The coastal city of Mombasa has been cited in many security reports as a transit point for drugs headed to Asia and Europe.

Some of the drug lords have turned the Coast region into a drug haven, with thousands of young people addicted to heroin and cocaine.

Anti-narcotics police officers say most of the drug traffickers had also been avoiding airports for roads, which are poorly manned to traffic the drugs.

A source within security agents indicates that the government has so far been handed over a new list drug baron operating in the country who include prominent businessmen and politicians.

Head of Anti narcotic Unit in the Country Hamis Massa told Xinhua in Mombasa that they are working with foreign countries in the war on drugs.

"We have been sharing classified information with other security agents including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that have successful led to seizure of drugs at sea," Massa said.

He said security unit comprising different interagency national intelligence service and CID are probing the individuals behind the drug trade.

President Kenyatta has vowed to deal with the drug kingpins who continue to use the Mombasa port as transit point for drug trafficking.

"I shall not allow this country to be a trafficking hub nor shall I watch as our youth and future get destroyed. We shall destroy any vessel on land, sea or air that is ferrying drugs or related substances," said Kenyatta.

Kenyatta appealed to all leaders to be part of war on drug campaign. "The participation of each and every one of us will go a long way to secure our youths," he added.

The government has destroyed drugs and sunken vessels intercepted trafficking drugs in the county. Most of the narcotics that are seized are cocaine and heroin.

Statistics from the police show authorities at the airport seized drugs valued more than 16.4 million dollars last year alone. Most of those arrested were passengers who were on transit.

According to latest police statistics, some 1,359 cases of drug trafficking were detected in Kenya in 2014 and 1,513 suspects arrested. Endit