One suspect has been arrested and a consignment of cocaine valued at approximately KSh2.19 million seized after police officers intercepted a passenger bus at the Malaba One-Stgop Border in Busia County.

The incident unfolded when a bus belonging to Simba Coach Company en route from Kampala to Nairobi arrived at the border post.

During a routine passnger and luggage inspection, the officers discovered 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 KSh2,191,960.

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.

“The DCI, through NANIB, remains steadfast in its war against narcotics trafficking, tightening the noose on drug networks seeking to exploit transport routes and border crossingS,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says.