Detectives nab one with heroin and cannabis in Mwatate
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, May 8, 2026Detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) Coast Regional Headquarters, working jointly with officers from Taita Taveta County, have arrested a person of interest believed to be involved in drug trafficking and recovered heroin and cannabis sativa during an operation in Mwatate.
Confirming the incident on their X handle on Friday, May 8, 2026, the DCI has noted that the raid took place at an apartment in Jombo Chawia village based on the tip-off received by undercover officers from the local community about possible drug activities.
“A team comprising detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) Coast Regional Headquarters and Taita Taveta has arrested a notorious trafficker, recovering a stash of heroin and cannabis sativa in Mwatate,” DCI said.
The operation was conducted in Jombo Chawia village, where undercover sleuths, acting on a reliable tip-off, made the discovery. Inside the apartments, they uncovered a packet of heroin and two sacks brimming with cannabis sativa,” DCI noted.
The DCI has further noted that the investigators found a packet of heroin in the apartments and two bags of cannabis sativa, which investigators believed were supposed to be distributed in the region.
Detectives in the process of busting the person of interest in a drug operation arrested the 42-year-old man. The arrest, according to the DCI, came as part of a security agency’s campaign to disrupt drug trafficking rings in the Coast region and neighbouring counties, authorities said.
The detectives have confirmed further that the person of interest has been immediately arrested and driven to the Coast Regional Headquarters, where he is awaiting arraignment in court.
Detectives recovered the drugs, and they will be taken into evidence at the time of formal charges in court.
Fight against drug trafficking
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has kept advising members of the public to assist in the fight against drug trafficking by providing information to the security agencies. The agency urged citizens to anonymously report any suspicious crime activities using the agency’s toll-free hotline and WhatsApp reporting portal.
The battle against narcotics trafficking is a major priority, with security forces stepping up their efforts against those in the illegal drugs business throughout the country, authorities say.