One person has died following a road accident involving a suspected drug-trafficking vehicle during a police operation along the Malaba-Webuye road in Bungoma County.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB), Bungoma, working with officers from DCI Webuye West, recovered 170.8 kilogrammes of cannabis from a white Mazda CX-5.
According to the DCI, detectives had received intelligence that the vehicle, registration number KDY 338F, was allegedly transporting narcotics and laid an ambush along the highway.
When the Mazda approached, its driver reportedly spotted the officers and sped off, prompting a pursuit.
The chase ended when the vehicle collided with a red TVS motorcycle, registration number KMFV 109F. The motorcycle rider, identified as Muzungu Munialo, sustained fatal injuries.
The driver of the Mazda abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
After traffic officers processed the accident scene, detectives searched the vehicle and discovered suspected narcotics inside. The Mazda was subsequently towed to a police station for further examination.
A detailed search uncovered 162 bales of cannabis wrapped in yellow cellotape, with an estimated street value of Ksh5,124,000.
Detectives also recovered an additional number plate, KF2 8588, from the back seat of the vehicle. Investigators suspect it may have been intended to conceal the vehicle’s identity.
The Mazda and the seized substances have since been handed over to NANIB Bungoma as investigations continue.
The DCI expressed condolences to Munialo’s family and said detectives were pursuing the driver who escaped, while seeking to establish the wider network behind the suspected drug-trafficking operation.
