Confirming the latest development, Mombasa police boss Johnston Ipara said Sushmi Ja was arrested and detained together with two men of Indian and Napalese origin following a second raid in Nyali. Police had a few hours earlier raided Punjani’s home and were forced to break in to conduct search for drugs. “We will not leave until we search this house, top to bottom, and establish that there are no drug substances inside,” Ipara said
Ipara had summoned the businessman and his associates to record statements after he was accused of involvement in drug trafficking, but he failed to show up, prompting the police to raid his homes. Punjani, who had been mentioned in the Akasha brother’s drug case before court in the US, is reportedly receiving treatment in India where he was admitted in July 2019 after suffering a heart attack.
As of Tuesday, police had arrested close to 20 suspected drug traffickers and several others were being pursued. The ongoing crackdown was ordered by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i who believes drug peddlers are responsible for the increasing incidents of crime in the coast region. “There is a clear nexus between the recent Mombasa attacks and the movement of drugs in the region. Kenyans no longer want to hear tough talk — they want results. We will deliver. We’ve launched a systematic security operation in the area, and I’m certain it will bear fruits,” he said in Mombasa on Sunday, August 11.
