A 37-year-old Ugandan woman has been arrested in Kenya alongside two Tanzanian nationals after authorities seized 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine worth about Shs113 billion in the coastal county of Kwale.
The arrests followed a cross-border intelligence operation conducted on 7 November 2026 by Kenyan and Tanzanian security agencies targeting a suspected international drug trafficking network.
Kenya’s Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, announced the arrests on Monday in Mombasa, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in the country’s efforts to combat international drug trafficking.
Amin said the success demonstrated the importance of intelligence-sharing, cooperation between security agencies and coordinated investigations in dismantling organised drug trafficking networks.
The Ugandan woman was identified as Nakabugo Zuraicah. She was arrested in Shirazi village in Kwale County alongside Basleman Saleh Khamis, a suspected drug trafficker who is reportedly wanted by authorities in both Kenya and Tanzania.
The arrests were carried out by a multi-agency security team led by detectives from Kenya’s National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB).
Following the arrests, detectives extended their operation to Ganja la Simba village in Kinondo, where a search uncovered 454 kilogrammes of suspected methamphetamine.
Security officers also arrested a second Tanzanian national, identified as 54-year-old Hamad Seif Said. Two vehicles and a motorcycle believed to have been used in the trafficking operation were also seized.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the drugs originated in Pakistan and were being transported to markets in Eastern and Southern Africa.
However, Kenyan authorities have not yet explained the Ugandan woman’s alleged involvement in the network or established whether the trafficking operation had any connections to Uganda.
The three suspects remain in custody as investigations continue to establish the full extent of the suspected trafficking network and identify other people who may have been involved.
