Kenya Blows Up Heroin Ship

Kenya Defence Forces have destroyed a ship laden with heroin worth $11.3 million off the coast of Mombasa. The act is a message that the Port of Mombasa will no longer be a passage for the importation of illicit drugs, says the Head of State.

A reported 370 kilograms of heroin were blown up together with the stateless Al Noor ship on Friday in an operation witnessed by President Uhuru Kenyatta from a military helicopter overflying the Indian Ocean.

The vessel was mounted with explosives which were detonated some 16 nautical miles south of the coastal town of Mombasa, where it then sunk to the seabed.

A Mombasa High Court judge had earlier issued an order stopping the destruction of ship. A local lawyer had made a submission to stop the ship's obliteration on behalf of his client, who was not named in court. However, presidential orders seemed to trump the court order.

Additionally, nine foreigners have been charged with trafficking the heroin at the Mombasa High Court.

The drugs were seized from the 1,800 liters of the ship’s diesel reservoir on July 15 where they were concealed when it was intercepted off the Kenyan coast in Lamu by Kenya navy officers.

President Kenyatta has vowed to enhance the war against drug trafficking where Mombasa is worst hit among other major towns in the country.

Also read: Australian Navy Seizes Heroin Off Kenya