An expose by Kenyan journalists led to the unearthing of Tanzanian farms where bhang is grown large scale.
The vast farms which are just a few kilometres away from the Kenya-Tanzania border of Isebania extended from one horizon to the other.
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Posing as a potential buyer, the Kenyan journalist was taken on an epic tour of the marijuana farms in Tanzania where an acre goes for Sh30,000- Sh60,000 depending on the quality of the drug.
At the expansive farm, the drug dealers are said to be selling the banned drug on the farm.
The cost of harvest, packaging and shipment are all settled by the buyer.
While Kenya has sustained an onslaught on the drug since the swearing in of the new director of national intelligence into office, there is still more to be done
Since DCI Kinoti came into office, various drug busts have been witnessed in the country, with bhang being the most targeted.
According to black market estimates, a roll of bhang which retailed at Sh50 in 2018 now costs up to Sh150!
Users of the drug have decried the inadequacy of ‘weed’, saying some sellers have now resorted to selling only to their known customers.
This is attributed to the risky venture that dealing in the drug has become over the last few months since DCI Kinoti took the intelligence driver’s seat in August 2018.
Bribing Police Officers
While Migori County Commissioner, Joseph Nthenge blamed the lack of cooperation to arrest the drug problem on the Tanzanian police, the bhang farm owners in Tanzania assured the journalists that transporting the drug into Kenya is not much of a hassle.
“The officers have the names and contacts of all the bhang farmer and anyone who wants to venture into the business must register at the police station to be safe,” he revealed.
The dealer also said that police are on the payroll of the drug dealers so that their consignments can be safely delivered to the market.
About how they conceal the drug, the source said three-quarters of the truck could be filled with bhang and the remaining space be packed with Omena or charcoal.
May 10, Police acting on intelligence busted a petrol tanker ferrying bhang to Nairobi. Upon checking the contents of the fuel tanker, police would discover hundreds of rolls of bhang disguised as fuel.
Closer still, on May 20, Police officers in Londiani nabbed 223 kilogrammes of bhang in a Probox after chasing the car for several kilometres from Narok.
The bhang which was estimated to be Sh4.2 million was confiscated and the vehicle towed to Londiani police station. However, the driver escaped on foot after abandoning the vehicle.
The Kenyan law states that such a person, upon conviction, would be sentenced to jail for a period of not less than 20 years in prison for trafficking. However, if the court is convinced the accused used the drugs for personal consumption, they would be sentenced to a jail term not less than 10 years.