Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Serious Crimes Unit arrested a suspect wanted in the United States for allegedly trafficking wildlife and narcotics.
On Tuesday, Abdi Hussein Ahmed, alias Abu Khadi, was apprehended at a rental room in Maua, Meru County, following a tip from local residents via the DCI’s anonymous hotline.
Ahmed, along with his accomplices Moazu Kromah (aka Kampla Man), Amara Cherif (aka Bamba Isiaka), and Mansur Mohamed Suru (aka Mansour), were wanted in the United States for allegedly participating in a plot to smuggle rhinocerous horns and elephant tusks worth more than USD 7 million (approx. Ksh.833.4 million) between December 2012 and May 2019.
Their headquarters were allegedly in Uganda, where they smuggled approximately 190 kilograms of rhinoceros horns and at least 10 tonnes of ivory from various East African countries to ready markets in the United States and Southeast Asia.
The transnational criminal enterprise, according to the DCI, is responsible for the deaths of over 100 elephants and more than 35 rhinoceros.
“Their indictment, followed a joint investigation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), where a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York, charged Ahmed and his other co-conspirators with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment,” said the DCI in a statement.
In May, the Kenyan and US governments offered a USD 2 million (approx. Ksh.233 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of Ahmed and Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, who were accused of trafficking heroin into the US and smuggling wildlife destined for international markets out of Kenya and Uganda.
“Ahmed’s arrest follows the arrest of his accomplice Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, alias “Badro” on May 31, one week after a reward of $ 1Million USD was announced by the U.S. Department of State, through the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Abdi Hussein Ahmed, for participating in transnational organized crime, i.e. narcotics trafficking.”
The arrests come just two months after DCI boss George Kinoti and US Ambassador Eric Kneedler held a joint briefing in Nairobi on combating transnational organized crime.
The prosecution of this case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Sagar K. Ravi and Jarrod L. Schaeffer are in charge of the prosecution.
The Kinoti-led agency lauded the public for partnering with the security agencies in the fight against crime and called for further improved collaborations.
