Tanzanian among suspects held over Sh500bn heroin haul

PHOTO | ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY The Royal Australian Navy frigate, HMAS Darwin, during the raid where the record Sh25 billion heroin haul was seized east of Mombasa on April 24, 2014. Authorities are yet to establish the source and destination of the contraband cargo. 

In Summary

• Three suspects – a Tanzanian, Kenyan and an Asian – were arrested in relation to the largest drug haul ever to have been seized in the region

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Dar es Salaam/Mombasa.

A Tanzanian national is among suspects seized over the record $312 million (about Sh500 billion) heroin intercepted by an Australian navy ship last month off the Kenyan coast.

Reports from Mombasa said three suspects – a Tanzanian, Kenyan and an Asian – were arrested by local police in relation to the largest drug haul ever to have been seized in the region.

East African countries, particularly Tanzania and Kenya, are said to be major drug conduits in Africa.

The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday that the three suspects, who were not named,  were being questioned about the ownership of the boat that was intercepted with 1,032 kilogrammes (one tonne) of pure heroin on board.

Contacted by The Citizen for comment, the head of Tanzania’s anti-drugs unit, Mr Godfrey Nzowa, said he was not aware that a Tanzanian had been arrested in connection with the haul.

The two countries’ anti-drugs and anti-terror units routinely share information and exchange intelligence. 

The record haul was seized some 27 nautical miles off the Kenyan coast on April 23 by Australian navy personnel who were on patrol aboard HMAS Darwin.

The move sparked a diplomatic row between Kenya and Australia, with the former saying its security personnel were not informed of the sting operation by the Australian navy.

The vessel, according to reports, was intercepted as it was sailing to Mombasa.

Kenya port deputy police boss Charity Wangui, on Friday confirmed that the MV Laxminarayan was at the old port in Mombasa.

She said police were questioning three suspects, but no drugs were found on the boat, which carried a consignment of cement.

The Australian High Commission in Nairobi said the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) impounded the drug cargo before releasing the boat and its occupants.

However, the embassy did not say in an earlier statement last week that the vessel and its crew were released.

The embassy further clarified that the heroin was intercepted in international waters.

Police sources suspect the dhow is among vessels used to transport drugs along the East African coast.

A team of detectives from Kenya’s anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism police units on Friday inspected the vessel at the old port.

The officers cordoned off the area and used sniffer dogs to establish whether the boat was previously carrying drugs.

Earlier,  Mombasa County Police Commander Robert Kitur said they were working to establish where the boat was registered.

Other police sources said the boat had left Mombasa earlier and was sailing to Zanzibar when it  developed mechanical problems in Kenya territorial waters.

On February 4, this year, Tanzanian authorities impounded 201 kilogrammes of heroin worth $5.5 million (Sh9 billion) near Kigamboni. The heroin was found on board an Iranian vessel.

The seizure took place a few weeks after a Canadian navy ship intercepted 265 bags of heroin weighing more than 280 kilogrammes aboard a vessel while patrolling the Indian Ocean. 

A special task force dealing with transnational organised crime in Tanzanian waters arrested 12 suspects. Eight of the suspects held Iranian passports while four others were found with Pakistani travel documents.

The vessel was said to be sailing between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar at the time.

According to police, preliminary investigations indicate that the ship ferrying the drugs was registered in Iran. “A special task force suspected them and subjected them to a thorough search,” Mr Nzowa said. “It was at that time that we impounded a consignment of heroin.”

The task force comprised marine police, navy officers and Tanzania Intelligence Service officers. According to Mr Nzowa, the arrest came as a result of intelligence information shared as part of efforts to curb transnational organised crime in Tanzanian waters.

The operation was carried out in collaboration with other law enforcement organs from Southern African Development Community member states and other countries