DPP closes case against six Iranians charged with trafficking meth worth over Ksh.8.2B

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has closed its case against six Iranian nationals accused of trafficking more than one tonne of methamphetamine worth over Ksh.8.2 billion, paving the way for the court to determine whether they have a case to answer.

The prosecution concluded its case before the Shanzu Chief Magistrate's Court after calling 12 witnesses, with the final testimony delivered by the investigating officer, Inspector Shadrack Kemei of the Anti-Narcotics Unit.

Inspector Kemei told the court that investigations began on October 19, 2025, after the Anti-Narcotics Unit received intelligence that the Kenya Navy had launched an operation to intercept a suspicious vessel suspected of transporting narcotic drugs.

“The following day, the Navy confirmed the interception of the vessel, identified as a ‘dark vessel’ for allegedly operating without an Automatic Identification System (AIS), before escorting it to Kenyan waters,” the ODPP said in a statement.

The court heard that investigators obtained search warrants from the Mombasa Law Courts on October 24, 2025, authorising detectives to board, search, seize and detain the vessel.

Inspector Kemei testified that detectives, accompanied by officers from the Kenya Navy and the Kenya Coast Guard Service, boarded the vessel and served the warrant on its captain, Jaseem Darzadeh Nia.

During an initial search, officers recovered two packets containing a white crystalline substance. A field test confirmed the substance was methamphetamine with an estimated purity of about 98 per cent, prompting a more extensive search after the vessel docked at the Kenya Navy's Mtongwe Jetty.

“The subsequent operation uncovered 769 packets of methamphetamine concealed within six of the vessel's seven compartments,” the ODPP added.

The drugs and the vessel were seized, leading to the arrest of six crew members: Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay.

Further investigations resulted in the recovery of five mobile phones and four SIM cards, which were subjected to forensic examination at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) Cyber Forensics Laboratory.

A government-supervised weighing exercise established that the recovered narcotics weighed 1,036.044 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of Ksh.8,288,352,000.

The prosecution also told the court that the accused informed investigators the consignment had been loaded at Pozm Port in Iran and was destined for Mauritius.

Additional evidence presented showed that the Kenya Maritime Authority confirmed the vessel had no registration documents and was therefore stateless, while analysis by the Government Chemist conclusively identified the recovered substance as methamphetamine.

The six accused are facing charges of trafficking narcotic drugs contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.

The prosecution alleges that they committed the offence between October 17 and 20, 2025, on the high seas approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.

Following the close of the prosecution's case, Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi directed both the prosecution and defence to file written submissions within 14 days.

The matter will be mentioned on July 13, 2026, to confirm compliance and set a date for the court's ruling on whether the accused persons will be placed on their defence.