Police in Gatundu on Wednesday seized bhang worth over one million shillings planted at a private farm at the border of Gatundu North and Thika constituencies in Kiambu County.
The police officers who were acting on a tip off raided the firm where they found the outlawed crop inter-cropped with other plantations.
According to Gatundu North Sub-County Police Commander Ellen Wanjiku, 500 brooms of the outlawed crop were netted at the private farm where maize plantations have been planted in large-scale.
The bhang netted inside the farm and which was set for processing for sale to unknown markets is worth a market value of Ksh 1.1 million.
Wanjiku told journalists that the seizure was part of an ongoing rapid response initiative which seeks to zero-rate outlawed substances including chang’aa and other illicit substances.
During the operation that involved police from both Gatundu North and Thika, chiefs and investigative officers, three suspects were arrested and taken to Mwea Police Station for grilling.
Wanjiku blamed the plantation of the outlawed crop at the private farm to failure by sleuths to have a breakthrough in the fight against high uptake of bhang but vowed to work extra hard to eradicate the challenge.
She revealed that police were considering spraying the farm to prevent growth of other germinated bhang crops alongside instituting other measures to prevent further production.
The officer warned outlawed substances manufacturers that police were on the lookout and would not hesitate to arrest anyone found on the wrong side of the law.
On his part, Thika West Sub-County deputy police commander Moses Sirma said police will intensify patrols to weed out crooks still hellbent to continue with the illegal activities.
Gatundu North Deputy County Commissioner Julius Kavita told journalists that sleuths got a tip off from the public and acted promptly to raid the farm.
Kavita who revealed that the officers bought information about the matter said that security officers will begin guarding the entire farm while conducting further interrogation to ascertain possibility of other outlawed crops.
Reporting by Antony Kioko
