Amin: DCI to pursue drug barons, financiers in anti-narcotics crackdown

The Kenya Police's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is intensifying its anti-narcotics campaign, targeting drug barons and financiers involved in trafficking networks. DCI Director Mohamed Amin announced on Monday in Mombasa that investigators are now focusing on asset-centred investigations to locate and seize proceeds of crime linked to narcotics, such as cash, vehicles, real estate, and businesses.

Speaking to reporters, Amin emphasized that the Directorate is collaborating with the Asset Recovery Agency and other institutions to trace the financial networks supporting the drug trade. "Our focus is not only on apprehending drug couriers but also on identifying and pursuing the financiers and organisers who sustain these criminal enterprises," he stated.

This intensified effort follows earlier successes, including the seizure of 454 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine worth an estimated Ksh3.6 billion and the arrest of three suspects in Kwale County, part of a joint intelligence-led operation with Tanzanian authorities on November 7. The operation was aimed at dismantling trafficking networks that operated across Kenya and Tanzania.

The recent recovery of methamphetamine follows another large seizure in the Indian Ocean, where authorities seized 1,036 kilograms of the drug, valued at approximately Ksh8.2 billion. DCI Director Amin described this as the largest methamphetamine seizure in Kenya's history.

To bolster its anti-narcotics operations, Amin reported that the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) has made significant strides. Between January and October 2026, NANIB has already arrested 1,631 suspects and recovered narcotics valued at around Ksh779.6 million. In response to the evolving threat, Amin explained that the DCI has revamped the former Anti-Narcotics Unit into NANIB, recruited 208 additional officers, established 40 new investigation stations, and trained 314 personnel in anti-narcotics investigative techniques.

The bureau is also actively partnering with regional and international law enforcement agencies to enhance intelligence sharing and disrupt cross-border trafficking networks.