The government has seized narcotics valued at Sh779.6 million and arrested 1,631 suspects in a 10-month crackdown, as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations calls for a shift towards intelligence-led operations targeting drug trafficking networks.
Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin said some established drug barons had relocated their bases outside Kenya following sustained law enforcement pressure but continued directing operations through local associates.
He warned that their relocation did not eliminate the threat, as the networks responsible for transporting drugs and moving money remained active within the country.
The seizures, made between January and October 2026, involved 21,005.54 kilogrammes of cannabis valued at Sh630,166,200, making it the largest category of narcotics recovered during the period.
The National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) also seized 10.23 kilogrammes of cocaine worth Sh40,920,000, 7.74 kilogrammes of heroin valued at Sh23,220,000 and 7.67 kilogrammes of methamphetamine worth Sh61,352,000.
A further 4.8 kilogrammes of amphetamine valued at Sh24 million was recovered, bringing the total estimated value of the drugs seized to Sh779,658,200.
In his remarks, Amin said the government had elevated the fight against narcotics and illicit alcohol to a national security priority, prompting the restructuring of the former Anti-Narcotics Unit into NANIB.
The bureau has recruited an additional 208 officers, established 40 new stations and trained 314 officers in specialised anti-narcotics investigations.
Despite the seizures and arrests, Amin said the changing tactics of drug trafficking networks required law enforcement agencies to rethink their approach.
"Sustained law enforcement pressure and the strengthening of our National Anti-Narcotics Bureau have compelled some established drug barons to relocate their bases outside our country. This does not, however, reduce the threat. Several continue to direct operations remotely, relying on local associates, transporters and financial intermediaries within our country," he said.
Amin described the development as a characteristic of transnational organised crime, where key figures distance themselves from direct operations while retaining the infrastructure that facilitates trafficking.
He said investigations should therefore focus on identifying the people who finance and coordinate the trade, rather than concentrating mainly on drug consignments and low-level couriers.
"The evolving operational behaviour of drug trafficking networks demands an equally adaptive and intelligence-driven response. Our focus must therefore shift beyond the reactive interception of drug consignments and the apprehension of low-level couriers towards intelligence-led operations that identify, target and dismantle entire criminal networks, including those who finance, coordinate and facilitate these activities," Amin said.
He added that seizures and arrests alone should not be treated as the measure of success in the war against narcotics.
"Seizures and arrests alone are not a measure of success in the war against narcotics. Global experience, consistently affirmed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other partners, shows that lasting disruption comes from dismantling the entire criminal enterprise — the financiers, organisers, logistics providers, and local facilitators who sustain it," he said.
The DCI said the 1,631 suspects arrested during the January-to-October period had been arraigned in court.