More than one million people are currently smoking bhang in coastal region.
This is an alarming rate, officials say.
National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) CEO Anthony Omerikwa said consumption of bhang had risen by 90 percent.
He said the most affected area is in the Coast region.
He made the remarks Saturday when at least two traffickers were arrested and 435 rolls of bhang recovered from them in an operation by officials from Nacada and police in Mtwapa, Kilifi County.
The dealers were ferrying the narcotics when they were stopped on Saturday, February 10, 2024, police said.
Police said the bhang originated from Migori County.
One of the suspects is a notorious bhang seller in the coastal region who is among the most wanted drug dealers in the region, police said.
The second suspect is also a notorious drug dealer with links in Kilifi and Malindi.
Several motorcycles were detained during the crackdown, as they were being used to transport bhang and other illicit substances in the coastal region, police said.
Last Thursday, security teams intercepted more than 400 kilograms of bhang valued at Sh20 million along the Mwingi-Garissa highway.
Two suspects who were ferrying the drugs in a lorry carrying cows to Nairobi were arrested in the Thursday afternoon operation.
Police said the cargo was hidden in a false compartment in the lorry.
The team, which intercepted the narcotics revealed they were destined for the Kiamaiko area in Huruma where a supplier was waiting to pick them up.
Police say the Kiamaiko area is Nairobi’s main hub for cannabis storage and packaging.
Detectives have linked also the surge in real estate construction in the area to proceeds of drug trafficking.
The head of the Anti Narcotics Unit, Samuel Laboso said they have stepped up the crackdown against drug
traffickers who continue to procure drugs at the detriment of the country.
This is the latest seizure of such drugs in the area.
Most of the bhang seized in the region originates in Ethiopia.
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