The Mombasa Law court has convicted Iranian and Pakistani foreigners trafficking Kes1.3 billion in heroin into the Country.
The convicts include Pak Abdul Ghaffar, Mohamed Saleh, Saleem Muhammad, Yakoob Ibrahim, Bhatti Abdulghafour, and Baksh Moula.
The convicts were charged for trafficking 377.2 kilograms of heroin worth Kes1,131,672,000, 672,000 in granule form on July 3, 2014.
They were also charged with trafficking 33,200 litres of heroin valued at Kes189 million.
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Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku decided that the prosecution had established that the foreign nationals had been detained on board a ship that had been used to transport drugs.
The evidence and exhibits put the foreigners at the heart of the crime, making it difficult for them to clear themselves, according to Mutuku's ruling.
The drugs were expertly hidden inside their ship, the Court ruled, and it took detectives days to find them.
She went on to discount the foreign ship crew members' claim that the cargo was planted to frame them, saying they "cannot swear they do not know the narcotics."
The Court additionally declared that the MV Amin Darya's destruction was irrelevant to the case because it was carried out following the required documentation of the scene, seizure, and drug testing.
According to her, gathering and preserving the evidence that was subsequently presented in Court was done properly and in compliance with the law.
The Chief Magistrate further decided that two government chemist experts who analysed the material had to testify in Court that the heroin discovered within the ship was indeed white.
The Court additionally decided that Kenyan courts have jurisdiction to try foreigners per international law.
She concluded that some of the accused individuals had cooperated with some witnesses' claims that they had been detained while sailing within the nation's territorial seas.
On February 22, 2023, the Court is scheduled to sentence the foreigners.
Three Kenyans, Khalid Agil Mohamed, Mohamed Osman Ahmed, and Maur Bwanamaka, were acquitted by the Court.
Mutuku indicated that the Kenyans were only contracted to clear the ship after docking at the port of Mombasa.
