Court Awaits Ruling After DPP Closes Sh8.2 Billion Methamphetamine Trial

Six Iranian nationals moved closer to learning their fate after prosecutors closed their case in the Sh8.2 billion methamphetamine trial before the Shanzu Chief Magistrate’s Court in Mombasa.

The Director of Public Prosecutions presented 12 witnesses during the trial. Inspector Shadrack Kemei became the final witness. He explained how investigators intercepted the suspected drug shipment on the high seas.

The court will now decide whether the six accused have a case to answer.

Investigators Explain High Seas Operation

Inspector Kemei told the court the Anti-Narcotics Unit received intelligence on October 19, 2025. The information indicated the Kenya Navy had launched an operation against a suspicious vessel.

The following day, the Kenya Navy intercepted the vessel, Mashaallah. Officers escorted it into Kenyan waters after discovering it was operating without an Automatic Identification System.

Later, detectives secured search warrants from the Mombasa Law Courts. The warrants allowed them to board, search and detain the vessel.

Investigators served the warrant on captain Jaseem Darzadeh Nia. During the first search, officers recovered two packets containing a white crystalline substance.

Field tests identified the substance as methamphetamine with an estimated purity of 98 per cent.

Detectives later searched the vessel again after it docked at the Kenya Navy’s Mtongwe Jetty. They recovered 769 packets hidden inside six of the vessel’s seven compartments.

Sh8.2 Billion Methamphetamine Trial Nears Next Stage

Investigators conducted a government-supervised weighing exercise. The recovered drugs weighed 1,036.044 kilogrammes. Authorities valued the consignment at Sh8,288,352,000.

Detectives also seized five mobile phones and four SIM cards. The Anti-Terrorism Police Unit Cyber Forensics Laboratory analysed the devices.

According to court testimony, the accused told investigators the shipment originated from Pozm Port in Iran. They claimed it was heading to Mauritius.

The Kenya Maritime Authority also examined the vessel. The agency found it had no registration documents and classified it as stateless.

Meanwhile, the Government Chemist confirmed the recovered substance was methamphetamine.

The accused are Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay.

Prosecutors accuse them of trafficking narcotic drugs between October 17 and 20, 2025. They allegedly committed the offence about 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi led the prosecution. Principal Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema and Prosecution Counsel Henrietta Mburu assisted him.

Finally, Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi directed both sides to file written submissions within 14 days. The court will mention the case on July 13, 2026. The magistrate will then set a date for the ruling on whether the six accused will enter their defence.