Kenya jails 7 foreigners for life over drug trafficking

In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, a Kenyan court has sentenced six Pakistani nationals and one Iranian to life in prison for smuggling heroin into Mombasa. The group was found guilty of moving heroin via the Indian Ocean aboard the ship MV Amin Darya, also known as Al Noor. AP News
Their arrest dates back to 2014, when law-enforcement officials intercepted more than 377 kg of granular heroin, over 33,000 liters of liquid heroin, and diesel laced with the drug. AP News+2businessdailyafrica.com+2 The cost of the seized heroin was estimated at KSh 1.3 billion, and the court fined each of the traffickers KSh 3.9 billion, on top of the life sentences. AP News
The case highlights how Kenya’s coastline—especially Mombasa—is being used as a transit point for international drug syndicates. Authorities say the trafficking ring was operating across borders, with heroin being smuggled from Pakistan and Iran into East Africa. The conviction signals Nairobi’s commitment to clamping down on narcotics smuggling, though experts warn that combating such transnational crime requires sustained regional cooperation.