Build on arrest to end drug, poaching crimes

The arrest of Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, a suspected drug lord wanted by the United States for trafficking heroin, is a commendable job by security agencies.

Saleh was arrested in Liboi, Garissa County, as he attempted to cross into Somalia, days after Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti and Mr Eric Kneedler, the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Nairobi, displayed his image and that of his accomplice Abdi Hussein Ahmed to the public calling for information leading to their arrest and announcing a Sh100 million bounty on each of their heads.

Court papers show Saleh is a member of the Kromah Network in Kenya, an international rhino horns, ivory and drug trafficking syndicate with presence in Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Senegal. He has been wanted for his role in smuggling heroin into United States on different occasions and through accomplices in Nairobi and neighbouring countries.

Although Ahmed is still on the run, the arrest of Saleh shows that much can be achieved when local security agencies work in collaboration with their international counterparts to fight modern and complex crimes in the country and abroad.

The acknowledgement by the US Embassy that a tip-off from members of the public led to the fugitive’s arrest also demonstrates that the country can achieve a lot with more law-abiding citizens’ collaboration in the fight against crime.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports growing trafficking in heroin, cocaine, cannabis (bhang) and Amphetamine-Type Stimulants into and through the East African region.

The sea ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa are major entry routes for illicit drugs and this is aided by the presence of frequent commercial flights from Asia and the Middle East and corruption among some law enforcement officers and Customs officials based at the sea ports and airports.

The arrest is proof that the war on dangerous criminal rings can be won if we all focus on doing what is right for the country—and humanity. Let the authorities build on the latest success to wipe out poaching and trafficking in narcotics.