Police have uncovered a three-acre bhang plantation worth an estimated Sh60 million along the Tana River in Mwingi Central, uprooting about two tonnes of the drug and recovering equipment believed to have been used in its cultivation.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations,the operation was conducted by officers from the National Police Service (NPS) and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) following what police described as “credible intelligence”.
The officers raided a river delta in Kakongo Village, Kairungu Location, in Kiomo Kyethani Ward, where they found the plantation concealed among assorted food crops.
With the help of members of the public, the officers uprooted the plants and transported them to Mwingi Police Station, where they were weighed and found to total 2,000kg.
Police estimated the street value of the bhang at Sh60 million.
The operation also led to the recovery of equipment suspected to have been used to cultivate and maintain the illegal plantation.
Among the items recovered were seven solar panels, six jembes, four pangas, two weighing scales, two fork jembes, two hacksaws and a solar control unit.
Police also recovered assorted solar accessories, five petrol-operated water-pump generators and 30kg of CAN fertiliser, alongside other farming tools.
Assorted personal documents suspected to belong to the cultivators were also found at the scene.
However, the suspected cultivators escaped before they could be arrested, apparently after sensing the security operation.
Investigations are now being conducted by detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Mwingi Central, who are pursuing leads to identify and apprehend those behind the plantation.
The National Police Service said it remains committed to disrupting the “cultivation, trafficking, and distribution of narcotic drugs” through intelligence-led operations.
It urged members of the public to share information that could help expose and dismantle criminal networks involved in the narcotics trade.