A routine passenger and luggage screening at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) has uncovered a drug trafficking operation, with detectives arresting one suspect and intercepting a cocaine consignment valued at approximately Sh2.19 million.
The incident unfolded when a Simba Coach bus, Reg. No. KDG 093H, en route from Kampala to Nairobi, arrived at the border post for routine screening.
During the inspection, officers found an unattended parcel inside the bus, raising suspicion and prompting further scrutiny.
But as the parcel was singled out for examination, the situation took a dramatic twist. The driver and the conductor vanished from the scene, abandoning the bus and its passengers, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.
Detectives from the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) in Malaba subsequently took over the consignment for further processing.
Preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine, packaged in eight pellets weighing 547.99 grams, with an estimated street value of Sh2,191,960.
In the ensuing investigations, the bus turn boy, Meshack Medalack, was arrested in connection with the incident.
Detectives are hot on the trail of the the driver, identified only as Karama, and the conductor, John Musimbi, as investigations seek to unravel the circumstances surrounding the consignment and establish the respective roles of those involved.
The bus was detained at Malaba OSBP as the management arranged for alternative transport for the affected passengers.
