Inside the Sh300,000 bhang drug bust in Joska: Two arrested
Detectives from the Nairobi Anti-Narcotics Unit on Tuesday, February 6, arrested two suspected drug peddlers in the Joska area along Kangundo Road in Nairobi.
The two suspects identified as Laban Ochieng Odera and Ann Nyambura Njoki both 21, were found in possession of 10kg of bhang with a street value of Sh300,000.
“The two suspects were arrested in a raid on a house in Joska area along Kangundo Road in Nairobi,” DCI said in a statement.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the two were taken to Muthaiga police station where they are awaiting court proceedings.
According to the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, penalties where the person is in possession of less than one gram, to a fine of not less than Sh5 million or imprisonment for not less than five years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Where a person is in possession of between one and 100 grams, he or she will be fined to not less than Sh30 million or imprisonment for 30 years, or to both such fine and imprisonment.
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Where the person is in possession of more than 100 grams, one will be fined not less than Sh50 million or three times the market value, whichever is greater or imprisonment for life or both such fine and imprisonment.
In 2023, the national survey by the National Campaign against Drugs Agency (Nacada) found that one in six Kenyans aged between 15 and 65, or 4.73 million people, are currently using at least one drug or substance of abuse.
Of this number, males in the same age group accounted for 3.78 million compared to their female counterparts at 949,298.
The survey involved 3,314 respondents from 47 counties, with an individual response rate of 87 percent.
The survey found that the use of cannabis (bhang) has increased significantly, with the number of people using the drug increasing by 90 percent in the last five years.
Currently, one in 53 Kenyans aged 15-65 use cannabis.
Nairobi leads the regions in bhang use with a prevalence rate of 6.3 percent, followed by Nyanza with 2.4 percent and Coast with 1.9 percent.