Highway Crash Exposes Sh7.2 Million Bhang Consignment in Nakuru

A road crash on the Nakuru-Nairobi highway has turned into a major narcotics investigation after police found 241.5 kilogrammes of bhang inside the wrecked SUV.

The consignment, estimated by investigators to be worth Sh7.245 million, was discovered after a Mazda CX-5 crashed between the Shinners Boys and Mbaruk areas while heading towards Nairobi.

The driver did not remain at the scene.

Police say he fled on foot after the SUV collided with an oncoming Scania trailer, leaving the damaged vehicle and its cargo behind.

Officers from Nakuru Central Police Station were processing the crash scene when they searched the Mazda and found six sacks containing the suspected narcotic.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the drugs have since been secured as exhibits.

Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Nakuru have taken over the case as efforts to trace the driver continue.

How the crash happened

According to preliminary police findings, the Mazda was travelling from Nakuru towards Nairobi when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle.

The manoeuvre reportedly went wrong.

The SUV lost control and collided with the oncoming Scania trailer. The impact sent the Mazda spinning and caused extensive damage to its front section.

The driver then abandoned the wreckage and escaped before officers could arrest him.

Police have launched a manhunt for him.

His identity and the circumstances surrounding his escape have not been disclosed.

Crash scene becomes drug investigation

What initially appeared to be a traffic accident took a different turn when officers examined the abandoned vehicle.

Inside were six sacks containing bhang weighing 241.5 kilogrammes.

The estimated value of the consignment is based on its reported street value and does not, by itself, establish who owned the drugs or where they were headed.

Those questions are now part of the investigation being handled by NANIB.

Detectives are expected to establish the source of the consignment, its intended destination and whether other people were involved in its transportation.

At this stage, however, police have not publicly identified any other suspects.

Driver remains at large

The immediate focus is on finding the driver who abandoned the Mazda.

The vehicle has been secured as part of the evidence, alongside the recovered narcotics.

Investigators will also be expected to examine the vehicle and other available evidence as they work to establish how the consignment was being transported.

No arrests had been announced in connection with the narcotics recovery by Monday, September 21.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has urged members of the public with information that could assist investigators to report it to the authorities.

The case remains under investigation, and the driver has not been charged in court.

For now, the crash has left behind more than a damaged SUV. It has opened a separate investigation into a sizeable narcotics consignment that may have otherwise continued towards Nairobi unnoticed.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.