Kenya Destroys $63 Million Meth Haul Seized from Dhow 630 km Off Mombasa

Kenya's Ministry of Defence destroyed 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine at Bamburi Cement Factory in Mombasa on September 24, close to a year after the Kenya Navy intercepted the wooden dhow MV MASHALLAH roughly 630 kilometres off the city.

The dhow was boarded by Kenya Navy ship KNS SHUPAVU in the Indian Ocean in October 2025. Six Iranians were arrested. They faced legal proceedings in Kenya, and the seized drugs carried a street value of around $63 million.

Kenya's Ministry of Defence confirmed the incineration followed the conclusion of those legal proceedings. The drugs were destroyed under official supervision at the factory in Mombasa.

The western Indian Ocean corridor running along the East African coast has drawn steady attention from regional navies in recent years. The same waters see narcotics and piracy in proximity to each other. In August, a drone strike near Garmaal on the Puntland coast killed four suspected pirates a day after the dhow MV Lutuf was seized off Mareeyo, in a separate operation that showed how actively naval forces are working across this stretch of sea.