Kenyan authorities have destroyed 1,036.044 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at approximately Ksh8.2 billion at Bamburi Cement in Mombasa, bringing to an end the court-supervised disposal of one of the country’s largest narcotics seizures.
The drugs were destroyed on Thursday, September 24, 2026, nearly a year after they were intercepted in the Indian Ocean during a multi-agency maritime operation in October 2025.
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen led senior security and law-enforcement officials at Bamburi Cement as the destruction exercise got underway.
Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed I. Amin, senior National Police Service officials and representatives of other agencies were also present during the exercise.
The consignment had been secured as an exhibit in a narcotics trafficking case before the Shanzu Law Courts, where six Iranian nationals are facing charges linked to the shipment.
How the Ksh8.2 billion methamphetamine was seized
The methamphetamine was intercepted in October 2025 after Kenyan security agencies stopped a stateless dhow in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast.
The DCI said the operation involved multiple agencies and led to the arrest of six Iranian nationals who were allegedly aboard the vessel. The suspects were subsequently charged in connection with trafficking the narcotics.
The case has since proceeded before the Shanzu Law Courts, with the prosecution presenting evidence concerning the seizure and the alleged trafficking operation.
The accused are charged under Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, according to court reports.
Court supervises methamphetamine testing before destruction
Before the drugs were destroyed, the court-supervised process included identification, sampling, testing and weighing of the consignment.
The drugs comprised 769 packages, from which Government analyst Denis Onyango randomly selected 10 packages for testing. Samples from the packages tested positive for methamphetamine, with the analysis reported at 99 per cent.
The entire consignment was subsequently weighed, establishing the total quantity at 1,036.044 kilograms.
The drugs were then placed under multi-agency custody and transported to Bamburi Cement for destruction through a high-temperature process.
The court-supervised procedure was intended to ensure that the seized narcotics were properly identified and accounted for before disposal.
DCI links seizure to international drug-trafficking networks
The DCI said the operation demonstrates the importance of intelligence-led policing, cooperation between Kenyan security agencies and collaboration with international partners in disrupting transnational narcotics trafficking.
โThrough intelligence-led operations, close inter-agency collaboration and international partnerships, Kenya’s security agencies remain resolute in dismantling drug trafficking networks and keeping our communities safe,โ the DCI said.
The agency said the destruction was the final stage in a process that began with the maritime interception, followed by investigations and court proceedings.
The seizure also placed renewed attention on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline and its potential use by international narcotics networks seeking to move drugs through maritime routes.
Six suspects remain linked to Ksh8.2 billion drug case
The destruction of the physical evidence does not end the criminal proceedings arising from the seizure.
Six Iranian nationals are facing a trafficking case at the Shanzu Law Courts in connection with the consignment. The prosecution has presented evidence alleging that the accused transported the methamphetamine aboard the intercepted vessel.
The case had progressed to the defence stage after the Shanzu court ruled that the accused had a case to answer following the prosecution’s evidence.
The destruction therefore marks the disposal of the seized narcotics, while the court process concerning the accused persons continues.
Kenya destroys more than one tonne of methamphetamine
At 1,036.044 kilograms, the consignment amounted to more than one tonne of methamphetamine.
The Ksh8.2 billion valuation and the quantity involved make the seizure significant in Kenya’s fight against international narcotics trafficking. The DCI has previously described the seizure as the largest methamphetamine haul recovered in Kenya.
For investigators and prosecutors, the case has involved several stagesโfrom maritime intelligence and interception to arrests, forensic examination, prosecution and court-supervised destruction.
The Bamburi exercise on September 24, 2026, concludes the authorities’ handling of the seized narcotics, while the related trafficking case against the six accused persons proceeds before the Shanzu Law Courts.
