Three drug trafficking suspects arrested in 2020 while transporting 368.5 kilos of bhang on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway have received varying sentences.
The three, Tom Ouma, Paul Ochieng, and Ruth Atieno, appeared before the JKIA Court on Wednesday for sentencing in a case that began with their arrest on August 14, 2020.
Tom Ouma and Ruth Atieno have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each, with a fine of Ksh. 33,165,000.
The third defendant, Paul Achieng, was sentenced to 21 years in prison or a fine of Ksh. 33,165,000.
Detectives from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) arrested the three on August 14, 2020, based on intelligence.
According to a police report detailing the incident, the three were in a Toyota Noah headed for Nairobi when it was stopped at the Gilgil weigh bridge.
Four people were inside the car, along with nine sacks of a green dry plant suspected of containing narcotics.
At the time of the arrests, Paul Ochieng was driving the vehicle, with Stephen Wandera, a Ugandan national, as a co-driver.
In a follow-up operation involving officers from ANU, TOCU, and SSU specialised units, two more suspects, Tom Ouma and his wife Ruth Atieno, were arrested after a search of their home in Utawala.
During the operation, detectives recovered Ksh.226,698, which was believed to be criminal proceeds and was kept as an exhibit.
After the drug bust was weighed and sampled, it was discovered to weigh 368.5 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value of 11,055,000.
The three were charged with trafficking in the JKIA law courts.
A warrant of arrest is still out for the Ugandan national who absconded bond.
