Eight Kenya Defence Forces soldiers were charged Wednesday with narcotics trafficking, after authorities linked them to a vast methamphetamine seizure intercepted at sea.
Prosecutors said the haul, valued at more than 63 million dollars, was among the largest recent drug seizures along Kenya’s Indian Ocean coastline.
The soldiers appeared before senior principal magistrate Gladys Olimo in Nairobi, where they each pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court heard the case stems from an October 25 maritime operation that intercepted a dhow carrying more than one tonne of crystal meth.
Investigators said the drugs were brought ashore before some of the consignment allegedly vanished, trailing the soldiers into the centre of suspicion.
Opposing bond, prosecutor Brenda Oganda warned the court of serious risks, including interference with witnesses and compromise of ongoing investigations.
She said the proposed terms failed to reflect the gravity of the offences, which prosecutors allege involved both individual and joint participation.
Kenyan security agencies said intensified maritime patrols reflect mounting concern that the region remains a busy corridor for transnational trafficking networks.
The unfolding case now hangs like a salt-heavy mist over the coast, where law and sea winds collide in a high-stakes fight.