MOMBASA, Kenya—The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has closed its case against six Iranian nationals accused of trafficking more than one tonne of methamphetamine valued at approximately Sh8.2 billion.
The prosecution concluded its case before the Shanzu Chief Magistrate’s Court after calling 12 witnesses in the high-profile international drug trafficking trial.
Lead investigating officer Inspector Shadrack Kemei told the court that the Anti-Narcotics Unit received intelligence on October 19, 2025, indicating that the Kenya Navy had launched an operation to intercept a suspicious vessel believed to be transporting narcotic drugs.
According to the prosecution, the vessel, identified as Mashaallah, was intercepted by the Kenya Navy on October 20, 2025. Authorities described it as a “dark vessel” because it was allegedly operating without an Automatic Identification System (AIS), a key maritime tracking requirement.
The vessel was subsequently escorted into Kenyan waters, where investigators obtained search warrants from the Mombasa Law Courts authorising officers to board, search, seize and detain the ship.
Inspector Kemei testified that detectives, working alongside personnel from the Kenya Navy and the Kenya Coast Guard Service, boarded the vessel and served the warrant on its captain, Jaseem Darzadeh Nia.
During the initial search, officers allegedly recovered two packets containing a white crystalline substance. Preliminary field tests indicated the substance was methamphetamine with an estimated purity level of 98 per cent.
The court heard that a more extensive search was conducted after the vessel was docked at the Kenya Navy’s Mtongwe Jetty in Mombasa. Investigators allegedly recovered 769 packets of methamphetamine concealed in six of the vessel’s seven compartments.
Authorities told the court that the narcotics weighed 1,036.044 kilograms and had an estimated street value of Sh8,288,352,000.
The accused persons are Jaseem Darzadeh Nia, Nadeem Jadgal, Hassan Baloch, Raheem Baksh, Imran Baloch and Imtiyaz Daryay.
As part of its case, the prosecution presented forensic evidence extracted from five mobile phones and four SIM cards analyzed at the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) Cyber Forensics Laboratory.
Investigators further testified that the accused allegedly informed detectives that the consignment had been loaded at Pozm Port in Iran and was destined for Mauritius.
The court also heard that the Kenya Maritime Authority determined the vessel lacked registration documents, leading authorities to classify it as a stateless vessel.
Analysis by the Government Chemist later confirmed that the recovered substance was methamphetamine.
The six accused persons face charges of trafficking narcotic drugs contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act. The offences are alleged to have occurred between October 17 and October 20, 2025, on the high seas about 350 nautical miles east of the Port of Mombasa.
Shanzu Chief Magistrate Anthony Mwicigi directed both the prosecution and defence to file written submissions within 14 days.
The matter will be mentioned on July 13, 2026, to confirm compliance with the court’s directions and to set a date for a ruling on whether the accused persons have a case to answer.
