KDF: Dhow ‘IGOR’ Had Dodged Multiple Crackdowns Before Navy Intercepted It

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have come out with further details on the dhow they intercepted containing 1,024 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at approximately Ksh8.2 billion, 630 kilometers off Mombasa coast on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

In their Sunday, October 26, 2025, release, KDF explained that international drug enforcement agencies had been monitoring the non-registered dhow, codenamed IGOR.

KDF also indicated the vessel had evaded previous crackdowns continuously until it was intercepted by the Kenya Navy.

Multi-agency mission Deputy Commander Kenya Navy, Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa, affirmed that the Navy conducted the operation under the Safe Seas Africa (SSA) Programme. The operation, codenamed BAHARI SAFI 2025.01, used the Kenya Navy Ship (KNS) SHUPAVU to intercept the ship.

“The Kenya Navy successfully intercepted a vessel of interest codenamed IGOR, suspected of involvement in narcotics trafficking,” Brigadier Kiswaa said.

The operation was conducted by the Navy in close coordination with Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) in Seychelles, Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar, and the Government of Seychelles, which enabled aerial surveillance through Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).

Following the interception, the Navy escorted the dhow to the Port of Mombasa and handed it over to a multi-agency team led by the National Police Service (NPS), including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and other law enforcement agencies, for detailed inspection and forensic testing. Authorities obtained court warrants to allow further investigation.

Police have confirmed the arrest of six foreign nationals on the dhow. Officers found 769 packets of crystalline methamphetamine, carefully hidden in the boat’s compartments. The consignment is among the largest drug busts in Kenyan history.

NPS hailed the professionalism and coordination the agencies demonstrated in the operation.

The DCI opened investigations to follow the trail of where the drugs originated and where they were destined.

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