Kenyan detectives this week arrested four suspects believed to be involved in a significant international cocaine trafficking network using Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as a transit hub.
In a joint operation conducted between October 5 and 7, 2025, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that officers from the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) apprehended the alleged ringleader, Rishad Abdulrahim Sheikh, and his cousin, Hajinur Yussuf Mohamed, at Nyali Centre in Mombasa. They are linked to Jesse Da Mata Dos Santos, a British national who was arrested in London with 20 kilograms of cocaine.
Rishad, a dual Kenyan-British citizen, is suspected of coordinating drug shipments through JKIA with assistance from Muamar Mutua Mohammed, the syndicate’s logistics handler, and his cousin Adam Omari. The latter two were arrested in Nairobi the following day.
During the raid in Nairobi, DCI confirmed that TOCU officers seized 750 grams of cocaine valued at KSh 2.9 million, along with packaging materials believed to be used for concealing narcotics.
The four suspects appeared before Magistrate Njeri Thuku at the JKIA Law Courts and will remain in custody for 13 days as investigators pursue local and international leads.
Authorities have hailed the latest arrests as a significant breakthrough in Kenya’s ongoing fight against transnational drug syndicates exploiting key transport corridors like JKIA.
