Two suspects including an Italian national were Sunday arrested for operating a clandestine narcotics laboratory in Diani area, Kwale County.
It is not clear how long the suspects have been running the facility there.
What seemed like a peaceful corner of Kenya’s beautiful coastline turned out to be the unexpected site of a major drug bust.
Detectives 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.
