Kenya has scored a major victory in its war against transnational narcotics syndicates after six Iranian nationals pleaded guilty to trafficking more than a tonne of methamphetamine worth an estimated KSh 8.2 billion, in one of the largest high-seas drug cases ever prosecuted in the country.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) confirmed the guilty pleas, hailing the case as a landmark affirmation of Kenya’s zero-tolerance stance on international drug trafficking through its territorial waters and the Indian Ocean corridor.
The accused — Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay — admitted to trafficking 1,036 kilograms of methamphetamine before Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi at the Shanzu Law Courts.
According to the prosecution, the offence was committed between October 17 and 20, 2025, on the high seas approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa, highlighting the growing sophistication and reach of international drug networks targeting East Africa.
Investigators told the court that the drugs were concealed aboard a stateless vessel named Mashaallah — a tactic commonly used by transnational criminal organizations to evade maritime jurisdiction and law enforcement surveillance. The suspects were arrested on October 25, 2025, following coordinated maritime operations, and were formally arraigned on January 12, 2026, after extensive multi-agency investigations.
The six were charged under Section 4(a)(ii) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 1994, as amended in 2022 — legal reforms the prosecution said have significantly strengthened Kenya’s ability to combat large-scale, high-value drug trafficking.
In court, the DPP’s team successfully applied for two weeks to organize and present the detailed facts of the case, citing the scale of the seizure and the complexity of the evidence. The prosecution requested that the hearing be conducted on January 30, 2026, at the Kenya Navy base in Mtongwe, where the seized vessel and massive drug exhibits are currently being held under tight security.
The court was also asked to remand the accused at Shimo La Tewa Prison pending the next hearing.
Legal experts say the guilty pleas mark a significant breakthrough, not only in securing swift justice but also in deterring international cartels that have increasingly viewed the Western Indian Ocean as a trafficking superhighway.
For the DPP, the case sends an unmistakable message: Kenya’s seas are no longer safe passage for global drug syndicates, and those caught will face the full force of the law.
