Kenyan police have seized 454kg of suspected methamphetamine worth about $27 million on the country's southern coast, in a cross-border operation carried out with Tanzanian authorities. The drugs were recovered in Msambweni, Kwale County, and four people are in custody.

The National Police Service put the street value of the haul at 3.6 billion Kenyan shillings, about $27 million. Police said the operation was led by the coast unit of the National Anti-Narcotics Bureau and followed intelligence shared between Kenyan and Tanzanian security agencies.

How the operation unfolded

Police said the investigation began on 5 November 2026, when Tanzanian authorities arrested a suspect found in possession of drugs. The suspect was handed over to Kenyan officers at the Lunga Lunga and Horohoro border crossing. Local media identified the first suspect as Saleh Khamis, a 45-year-old Tanzanian.

Questioning led officers to the home of a suspected accomplice in Shirazi village in Msambweni, and then to Ganja La Simba village in nearby Kinondo, where the packages were found on Saturday, 7 November. A further suspect was arrested at the scene, and officers seized two vehicles and a motorcycle. The others held are two Tanzanians and a Ugandan woman, and all four are in custody and due to appear in court.

Police said the suspects were also linked to a separate seizure of about 250kg of suspected methamphetamine and cocaine in Tanzania.

Drugs traced to Pakistan, police say

On Monday, 9 November, the Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, said detectives had traced the origin of the 454kg consignment to Pakistan. He said the drugs were destined for several countries across East and Southern Africa, and described the seizure as an operational breakthrough.

Amin said the latest consignment was not connected to an earlier seizure involving the vessel MV Mashallah, whose cargo investigators traced to Iran. Officials believe the drugs arrived by sea, and the seized substance is described by police as suspected methamphetamine pending laboratory confirmation.

East Africa's growing drug transit role

The seizure is one of the largest drug hauls in Kenya's recent history. Kenyan authorities destroyed more than a tonne of methamphetamine this year from a consignment that the navy intercepted about 630km off Mombasa in 2025.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said last month that illicit alcohol and drugs were among the main threats to the country's future and promised tougher laws. The Institute for Security Studies, a think tank, has warned that East Africa's coastline is becoming an entry point for drugs meant for local users as well as a transit route to other markets.

Between January and October 2026, Kenya arrested 1,631 people in connection with narcotics offences, according to reports of police figures, as the authorities step up action against trafficking networks operating across the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where was the methamphetamine seized? The 454kg haul was recovered on 7 November 2026 in Shirazi and Ganja La Simba villages in Msambweni, Kwale County, on Kenya's southern coast.

How much was the seizure worth? The National Police Service valued the consignment at 3.6 billion Kenyan shillings, about $27 million.

Where did the drugs come from? Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations said on 9 November that the consignment had been traced to Pakistan and was destined for countries across East and Southern Africa.

Source: National Police Service of Kenya, via The Insight International, 9 November 2026; Directorate of Criminal Investigations briefing, 9 November 2026.