The dhow caught off the Kenyan coastal waters in October last year ferrying KSh8.2 billion worth of drugs was stateless; a navy officer has revealed.

While giving his testimony in the ongoing hearings of the drug haul, Major Mohamed Abdulrahman told the court that a foreign dhow had been on the radar of intelligence agencies for suspected drug trafficking in the Horn of Africa.

The dhow, which was intercepted 630 kilometres off Kenyan coast, was found with 1,024 kilos of high-purity methamphetamine drug variety neatly packed in 769 packages. 

While testifying before Chief Magistrate Anthony Wacigi, Major Mohamed said the dhow dubbed, MV Igor, allegedly offloaded a suspected drug consignment in Maputo, Mozambique, in June last year.

He noted that the ill-fated vessel was part of the two foreign dhows that were flagged by maritime security teams in East Africa and the Horn of Africa region charged with fighting illegal activities in the Indian Ocean.

A second dhow dubbed MV Chevy is said to have escaped the dragnet since it was sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz, hundreds of nautical miles from where the Kenya Navy warship was positioned.

The MV Igor, which was intercepted 350 nautical miles from the shores of Mombasa, bore Arabic inscriptions and lacked cargo manifest or documentation and hence was confirmed to be stateless, making it subject to interception under international law.

In the case led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joseph Kimanthi and Principal Prosecution Counsel Alex Ndiema, the second prosecution witness testified that he was the commanding officer of an offshore Kenya WarShip, KNS Jasiri, deployed to track the wanted vessel following intelligence reports.

Trafficking narcotics

He said that on October 15, 2025, he received the intelligence from his superior of the vessel suspected of trafficking in narcotics from the Horn of Africa sailing southwards along East African coast.

Upon approaching the vessel at around 4:00pm, the officers noted it was not flying any flag, an indicator of a stateless vessel under international maritime law.

Attempts to establish communication via radio and horn signals went unanswered only for six individuals to emerge from the vessel's wheelhouse a while later.

Using hand signals, the navy officers ordered them to move to the front of the vessel and raise their hands, which they complied with.

The occupants were restrained, a search was conducted, and a discovery of a crystalline white substance packed in small containers was made. Six Iranian sailors allegedly told the Kenya navy soldiers that the substance was ice.

In December last year, seven officers from Kenya Navy were arrested and later freed on allegations of stealing and attempted trafficking of roughly 25 kilos of the drug estimated at KSh 192 million in value.

[email protected]