Police officers have arrested two individuals who were involved in trafficking cannabis sativa (bhang) in Busia and its environs.

This was after police officers caught a motorcycle bearing the registration number KMEY 867L, with its rider, 50-year-old Alfred Ouma Mapesa. To their surprise, he was transporting a gunny bag that contained 24 kilograms of bhang.

After questioning Mapesa, he revealed his accomplice in this illegal trade, 41-year-old Frederick Egesa Wafula. As a result, Wafula was swiftly taken into custody moments later.

The two suspects are being held in police custody, undergoing processing and awaiting their arraignment in court.

Elsewhere in Kwale County, police uncovered a secret narcotics lab tucked away in a quiet neighborhood of Mwabungo village, Ukunda — a place more often associated with serene beaches than crime.

After days of discreet surveillance and intelligence gathering, a team from the Anti-Narcotics Unit and Kenya Police carried out a well-coordinated raid on a secluded one-acre compound.

Hidden behind tall walls and a heavily guarded gate, the location turned out to be more than it appeared. Inside, officers arrested two individuals: Gianardi Giulio, a 37-year-old Italian national, and Moses Nanoka Egadwa.

The team recovered lab equipment and chemicals suspected to be used in the manufacture of drugs, as well as packaging materials clearly marked with names of known narcotics.

Further searches revealed sections of the compound being used to cultivate what is believed to be cannabis, adding to the growing list of evidence pointing to long-term illegal activity.