A Lamu court has sentenced a man convicted of trafficking narcotic drugs to pay a Sh50 million fine or serve 10 years in prison, following a ruling that found the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Resident Magistrate Flavian Mulama convicted Abdulrahman Issa after finding him guilty of trafficking cannabis sativa and diazepam by storing the drugs, contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.
The offence was committed on March 12, 2026, at Tchundwa Village in Lamu East Sub-county, Lamu County, where the accused acted jointly with others who were not before the court.
According to court proceedings, police officers on patrol intercepted Issa carrying an orange bag. A search of the bag led to the recovery of 250 grams of cannabis sativa, 10 diazepam tablets, a roll of partially smoked bhang, a razor blade, a metallic spoon, a transparent side plate, a broken tile and a matchbox.
During the trial, the accused denied possessing the narcotics, claiming the exhibits had been recovered from his father’s house after he was arrested alongside two other men. However, he did not call any of the alleged co-arrestees to support his defence.
In his judgment, Magistrate Mulama ruled that the prosecution had presented consistent, credible and corroborated evidence through the testimony of three witnesses, which established that the accused was found in possession of the orange bag containing the narcotics.
“The prosecution’s evidence outweighs that of the defence,” the magistrate ruled, adding that the charge had been proved beyond reasonable doubt.
The court further found that there were no material inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case and dismissed the accused’s defence as mere denials unsupported by independent evidence.
The magistrate also concluded that the circumstances of the arrest pointed to drug trafficking rather than personal consumption.
He noted that the razor blade, metallic spoon, transparent side plate and partially smoked bhang recovered alongside the narcotics were consistent with the preparation and repackaging of drugs for distribution.
The court also relied on a Government Chemist’s report, which confirmed that the recovered substances were cannabis and diazepam, both classified as narcotic drugs under Kenyan law. The report was not challenged by the defence.
The prosecution, led by Counsel Idris Kipruto Tomno, successfully proved the case, leading to the conviction under Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
