Police in Kitale have unravelled the latest trick used by traffickers to evade arrest while transporting drugs.
On Wednesday, officers nabbed 40 Kg of bhang which had been stuffed inside detergent boxes, a tactic authorities say is meant to conceal the strong smell of the illegal but popular drug.
Confirming the incident, Kitale County Commander Ali Ayub said that the suspect who was in possession of the illegal substance managed to escape when police ambushed him at the Kitale bus station.
However, the culprit is a well-known Kitale local and detectives are hot on his heels.
The Commander expressed concern over the presence of such a large amount of marijuana in the area at a time when schools are about to close.
“Hii ni kitu ambayo ilikuwa inakuja kuharibu vijana wetu…saa hizi kwanza wakati watoto wako karibu kufunga shule wakikuja kukutana na bangi kama hii itawaharibu (This was a disaster in waiting especially now that schools are about to close…If children come into contact with such drugs it will be disastrous),” he said.
Police impound 40kg of bhang. pic.twitter.com/iZ7eJVOekn
— Nairobi News (@Nairobi_News) October 23, 2019
Ayub asked the public to continue providing the police with information regarding such cases, thanking them for their cooperation in the fight against drug cartels in the area so far.
Law enforcement has beefed up patrols in Kitale especially on buses which are suspected to be the main means of transportation of the commodity from other parts of the country.
Bhang peddlers have in the past devised unpredictable means of carrying out their trade and evading suspicion.
On October 15, authorities in Voi apprehended a church bus which was ferrying 230 rolls of the drugs with an estimated value of Ksh46000.
The drugs had been disguised as bags of omena.