The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has responded to reports by the Daily Nation alleging that the Mexican drug cartel Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación had established a crystal meth lab in Namanga, near Kenya’s border with Tanzania.
In a statement shared on its social media platforms on Wednesday, March 19, the DCI clarified that the report contained misrepresentations and lacked sufficient details about the case.
According to the statement, a multi-agency team, led by the Anti-Narcotics Unit, acted on a tip-off on September 12, 2024, regarding a possible clandestine drug lab situated 8 km from the Nairobi-Namanga highway.
The DCI revealed that its sleuths, upon conducting a search at the site, discovered two iron sheet structures: one contained laboratory equipment and chemicals, while the other served as a chemical store, kitchen, and sleeping area.
The findings suggested that a drug lab was being set up. Authorities recovered two exercise books with lab drawings and chemical formulas, along with a mobile phone belonging to a Mexican suspect.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of Betty Mukami Micheni on September 16, 2024, at her residence in Ruiru, Kiambu County. Incriminating documents were later recovered from her home, linking her to the purchase, importation, and distribution of the land, chemicals, and equipment found at the scene.
Further forensic analysis established connections between Micheni and two Nigerian brothers who were her accomplices. One of the Nigerian brothers was arrested at an apartment in Nairobi while the other was apprehended while trying to flee through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
According to the DCI, a Mexican national Alvarado Israel Vera was later arrested at JKIA while trying to escape to Mexico. Authorities determined that he was among three Mexicans recruited by the Nigerian brothers for their expertise in manufacturing methamphetamine.
The DCI revealed that Vera had just been introduced to the Namanga site in preparation for the lab’s operationalization, while his two associates remained at large.
The DCI stated that investigations had uncovered an international drug trafficking network spanning Nigeria, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Gabon.
However, it emphasized that the cartel had not successfully begun operations in Kenya and that no members of the syndicate had been deported for trial elsewhere.
Earlier, in its Wednesday, March 19, publication, the Daily Nation had reported the CJNG cartel had infiltrated Kenya and set up a crystal meth lab in Namanga. The cartel, just like many others in South America, is notorious for its crimes in Mexico.
By Kenyans