Police have uncovered a vast bhang plantation hidden among food crops along the Tana River in Kiomo Kyethani Ward, Mwingi Central.
Acting on credible intelligence, a team comprising officers from the National Police Service (NPS) and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) raided a river delta in Kakongo Village, Kairungu Location.
There, they stumbled upon a sprawling bhang plantation stretching across approximately three acres.
The illicit crop had been cleverly interspersed with assorted food crops in an apparent attempt to keep it under the radar.
With the help of members of the public, the officers swiftly uprooted the bhang and transported it to Mwingi Police Station, where it was weighed and found to be approximately 2,000 kilograms, with an estimated street value of KSh 60 million.
The operation also revealed a cache of equipment believed to have been used in the cultivation and maintenance of the illegal plantation.
Among the recovered items were seven solar panels, six jembes, four pangas, two weighing scales, two fork jembes, two hacksaws, a solar control unit, assorted solar accessories, five petrol-operated water-pump generators and 30 kilograms of CAN fertiliser, among other tools.
Additionally, assorted personal documents suspected to belong to the cultivators were found at the scene.
However, the suspects appeared to have got wind of the raid and slipped away before they could be apprehended.
Investigations into the large-scale cultivation are ongoing, with detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Mwingi Central pursuing leads to track down the masterminds behind the extensive narcotics network.
