It has now emerged that rogue KDF soldiers may have stolen crystal meth worth hundreds of millions. The crystal meth had been recovered from a vessel that was intercepted in the Indian Ocean in October 2025 by Kenyan soldiers.
Details of the amount of meth stolen and its value are contained in findings of the Anti-Narcotic Police Unit (ANPU) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
According to these findings, 38.7 kilograms of crystal meth were stolen from the consignment of 1,024 kilograms that were recovered from the vessel. The total consignment was estimated to be worth Sh8.2 billion.
This has placed the value of the stolen drugs to over Sh330 million. Previously, investigations had put the value of the stolen drugs at Sh192 million.
According to the investigators, the soldiers who were assigned to guard the seizure had stolen the drugs before they were formally booked as evidence. Some of the stolen drugs were found hidden at Mtongwe Barracks in Likoni.
Detectives investigating the matter have arrested and charged eight KDF soldiers and two civilians. The charges against the arrested soldiers show the crystal meth stolen as having a combined total value of about Sh330.1 million.
The charged include Juma Mwinyifaki who was charged with trafficking 2,601 grammes worth Sh20.8 million. These drugs are reported to have been found stored in a bush at Mtongwe Barracks in Likoni on November 27, 2025.
Peter Kipng’etich Tonui and Mustafa Salim Johari have been charged with conspiracy to traffic 6,194 grammes of meth valued at Sh49.5 million at Majengo Mapya in Mvita on November 25, 2025. The two are also facing separate trafficking charges.
Duke Nyamwaya, Dinah Moraa Obwocha and Elijah Mbogo have been charged with conspiracy to traffic 14,321 grammes valued at Sh114.6 million. At the same time, Nyamwaya and Mbogo have been charged with trafficking 5,380 grammes valued at Sh43 million.
Nyamwaya and Moraa have also been separately charged with trafficking 8,941 grammes valued at Sh71.5 million. The drugs in their possession were found hidden at various houses.
James Ekiru and Abdirahman Abdi Kuno have been charged with conspiring to traffic 1,319 grammes valued at Sh10.5 million. Michael Peter Kariuki and Abdulrehman Salad Jara have been charged with conspiracy to move 2,535 grammes of meth valued at Sh20.2 million.
The crystal meth drugs were seized off the Kenyan coast, about 630 kilometres east of Mombasa.
The drugs were seized from a stateless dhow that was dubbed as ‘Igor’. The dhow had a crew of six who were all Iranian nationals. The meth seized by Kenya Navy was packaged in packets that were concealed in black polythene bags.
These packets were then wrapped with a yellow tape labelled that was labeled as ‘100 per cent roasted and grounded Arabica coffee’. This was meant to disguise them as coffee.
This was the third seizure of drugs worth over Sh1 billion, raising questions on whether the Kenyan waters are a transit for illegal habour and, or an entry point for illegal drugs.
For instance, in 2014, Sh1.4 billion heroin was found aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean by the Kenya Navy. These drugs were found on the deck of the vessel AMIN DARYA also known as MV Al Noor.
Six Pakistani nationals and 1 Iranian national were arrested and sentenced to life in prison by a Magistrate’s Court. However, they filed an appeal at the High Court and were set free by Justice Wendy Micheni over what was termed as procedural shortcomings.
In 2006, 1.1 tonnes of cocaine valued at an estimated Sh6 billion was seized by the police in Nairobi and Malindi in 2006.
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