8 Kenyan soldiers charged for alleged roles in $63M meth trafficking case

By Andrew Wasike

Nairobi, Kenya (AA) - Eight Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were charged Wednesday with trafficking narcotics in a case tied to a large methamphetamine seizure intercepted at sea in October.

Prosecutors told the court the haul was valued at more than $63 million.

The soldiers appeared before senior principal magistrate Gladys Olimo, where they all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court heard that the case is connected to an Oct. 25 maritime operation in which authorities intercepted a dhow and seized a consignment of 2,258 pounds (1,024 kilograms) of crystal meth that was later brought ashore before the soldiers made away with some of the drugs.

Opposing bond, principal prosecution counsel Brenda Oganda told the court the proposed terms did not reflect “the gravity and seriousness of the offences,” warning there was “a real risk of interference with witnesses and potential compromise of the ongoing investigations.”

Prosecutors said the soldiers were found in possession of varying quantities of methamphetamine, with the charges reflecting individual and joint involvement.

Kenyan security agencies said the case comes against the backdrop of stepped-up maritime patrols along the Indian Ocean coastline, after a series of high-value drug interceptions that authorities indicated underline the region’s continued use by transnational trafficking networks.