A bus driver and conductor are being sought by detectives after cocaine worth Ksh2.19 million was found in a parcel inside a passenger bus travelling from Kampala to Nairobi.
The discovery was made at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post, where officers were screening passengers and luggage as part of routine checks.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), officers found an unattended parcel inside the bus and handed it over to detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) for examination.
The driver and conductor reportedly fled as officers moved to investigate the parcel, leaving the bus and its passengers behind.
Preliminary tests confirmed that the substance was cocaine. It had been packed into eight pellets weighing a total of 547.99 grammes, with an estimated street value of Ksh2,191,960.
Bus turn boy arrested
Detectives arrested the bus turn boy to assist with investigations into the suspected drug trafficking operation.
The driver and conductor remain at large as officers seek to establish how the cocaine got onto the bus and whether other people were involved in transporting the consignment.
The bus was detained at the Malaba border post as investigations continued. Its management later arranged alternative transport for the passengers who had been left stranded.
Detectives were also trying to trace the source of the drugs and the intended destination for delivery, according to the DCI.
DCI intensifies investigations into drug trafficking
The drug seizures come amid efforts by the detectives to combat drug trafficking in the country.
On Tuesday, October 20, a joint operation conducted by DCI led to the arrests of four suspected criminals who were caught with bhang and other suspected drugs in Kisii, Kitui and Kajiado counties.
According to the agency, it will continue to investigate drug trafficking syndicates and keep watch on possible routes through which such drugs can be transported in the country.
Investigations into the cocaine recovered at Malaba are ongoing.