Sh60m bhang plantation unearthed in Mwingi

Security agencies have unearthed a three-acre bhang plantation valued at an estimated Sh60 million in Mwingi Central, in an intelligence-led operation targeting illegal narcotics cultivation.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the plantation was discovered along the Tana River in Kiomo Kyethani Ward after security officers acted on credible intelligence.

A team comprising officers from the National Police Service (NPS) and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) descended on a river delta in Kakongo village, Kairungu location, where they discovered the extensive plantation.

According to the DCI, the illegal crop had been cleverly interspersed with assorted food crops, apparently in an attempt to conceal the plantation from authorities and the public.

“With the help of members of the public, the officers swiftly uprooted the bhang and later transported it to Mwingi Police Station, where it was weighed and found to be tipping the scales at 2,000kg of bhang, with an estimated street value of Sh60 million,” the DCI said.

The operation also led to the recovery of equipment believed to have been used in cultivating and maintaining the illegal crop.

Among the items recovered were seven solar panels, six jembes, four pangas, two weighing scales, two fork jembes and two hacksaws.

Police also recovered a solar control unit and assorted solar accessories, five petrol-operated water-pump generators and 30 kilogrammes of CAN fertiliser, alongside other farming tools.

The presence of solar-powered equipment and water pumps pointed to an organised cultivation operation that had been equipped to sustain the plantation along the river.

Detectives also recovered assorted personal documents suspected to belong to the people involved in cultivating the bhang.

However, the suspected cultivators escaped before officers could apprehend them, apparently having detected the security operation and fled the plantation.

The DCI said investigations had been launched to identify and apprehend the individuals behind the large-scale cultivation.

Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Mwingi Central are pursuing leads to establish the ownership of the plantation and trace the wider network involved in the cultivation and distribution of the narcotics.

The discovery comes amid continued efforts by security agencies to disrupt the cultivation, trafficking and distribution of narcotic drugs in different parts of the country.

“The National Police Service remains steadfast in its mission to disrupt the cultivation, trafficking, and distribution of narcotic drugs through intelligence-led crackdowns,” the DCI said.

The agency urged members of the public to continue sharing actionable information that could help security agencies identify and dismantle criminal networks involved in the illegal drug trade.

The DCI said the operation demonstrated the importance of intelligence and cooperation between security agencies and communities in uncovering concealed narcotics activities.