Murkomen issues statement after Kenya Navy seizes Ksh8.2B narcotics haul
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced the seizure of a major narcotics consignment worth Ksh8 billion following a coordinated multi-agency operation in the Indian Ocean.
In a press statement released on Sunday, October 26, 2025, Murkomen said the consignment weighing 1,024 kilograms was intercepted aboard a stateless vessel, MV Ighol, approximately 630 kilometres east of Mombasa, after actionable intelligence was shared among security agencies.
You might also like
“We wish to inform the general public and our international partners that we have seized a major narcotics consignment weighing a total of 1,024 kilograms, estimated to have a street value of approximately KSh 8 billion,” the statement read in part.
The CS disclosed that six Iranian nationals on board were arrested and are currently under interrogation.
“They remain in lawful custody and will be arraigned in court once preliminary investigations are concluded,” Murkomen said.
Tame drug trafficking
Initial forensic tests, Murkomen confirmed, identified the substance as methamphetamine with 98 percent purity, now undergoing further analysis and documentation.
Additionally, the Internal Security chief commended the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), which led the operation with support from the Kenya Navy, Coast Guard Service, National Intelligence Service, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, and the Government Chemist.
“This decisive intervention forms part of our contribution to global efforts to dismantle transnational organised crime networks involved in narcotics trafficking, terrorism financing, and illicit financial flows,” he stated.
The seizure is one of the largest in Kenya’s maritime history, signaling a renewed crackdown on international narcotics syndicates operating along the Indian Ocean corridor.
Dismantling networks
On his part, Murkomen reiterated that Kenya remains committed to collaborating with international partners to trace and disrupt the wider network linked to the drug haul.
“We will work with other international partners to trace and disrupt the wider criminal network associated with this seizure,” he said.
Murkomen also assured that the government is tightening maritime surveillance and security coordination to prevent similar incidents.
“We are progressively heightening our multi-agency security coordination framework and vigilance of our maritime systems,” he noted.
“The government is steadfast commitment to inter-agency cooperation, enhanced border security, and reinforced partnerships with regional and global allies to combat the production, movement, and financing of illicit substances.”
