Detectives have arrested a bus turn boy and seized cocaine worth approximately Sh2.19 million after a routine screening at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) exposed a suspected drug trafficking operation.
The incident involved a Simba Coach bus, registration number KDG 093H, travelling from Kampala to Nairobi when it arrived at the border post for routine passenger and luggage checks.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), officers discovered an unattended parcel inside the bus, prompting further inspection.
However, the driver and conductor reportedly fled the scene after the parcel was flagged for examination, abandoning the vehicle and its passengers at the border.
Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Malaba took custody of the parcel for further examination.
Preliminary tests confirmed that the substance was cocaine, packaged in eight pellets weighing a total of 547.99 grams.
The consignment has an estimated street value of Sh2,191,960.
In connection with the incident, detectives arrested the bus turn boy, identified as Meshack Medalack, as investigations intensified to establish how the drugs were being transported and who was involved in the suspected trafficking operation.
The DCI said officers were pursuing the driver, identified only as Karama, and the conductor, John Musimbi, to establish their roles in the incident.
The bus was detained at the border post as management arranged alternative transport for passengers affected by the incident.
Through NANIB, the DCI reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking, particularly along transport routes and border crossings exploited by suspected narcotics networks.
