Two men have been arraigned before a Mombasa court over allegations of trafficking cocaine valued at nearly Ksh4 million.
Hilton Gocho Chopeta and Mohamed Jabir Ali appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo and denied charges of conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs and trafficking in cocaine.
The prosecution alleges that the two, jointly with others not before the court, conspired to traffic narcotic drugs between July 15 and 16, 2026, in Mombasa County.
Chopeta and Ali were separately charged with trafficking in narcotic drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, as amended.
According to the prosecution, Chopeta allegedly trafficked 734.9528 grams of cocaine valued at Ksh2.9 million, while Ali allegedly trafficked 256.478 grams of cocaine valued at Ksh1 million by storing the substance.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Barbara Sombo opposed the release of the accused persons on bond, arguing that they posed a flight risk due to the seriousness of the charges they face and the possible penalties upon conviction.
The court heard, through an affidavit sworn by the investigating officer, that Chopeta was arrested on July 15, 2026, at the barrier of Moi International Airport while allegedly attempting to travel to Dubai.
Prosecutors told the court that Chopeta allegedly expelled 15 pellets suspected to contain cocaine at the scene before being taken to Port Reitz Hospital, where he allegedly expelled an additional 29 pellets, bringing the total recovered to 44 pellets.
The court was further informed that Ali was arrested at about 12:30 a.m. on July 16, 2026, while crossing the Likoni ferry channel towards Mombasa Island.
Investigators said Ali allegedly led detectives to his house in Bombolulu, where he collected keys before taking them to another house in Bamburi Fisheries, where 16 additional pellets were recovered.
The court heard that the recovered substances were weighed and sampled by a government analyst, who confirmed they were cocaine.
The prosecution also informed the court that Ali has another similar case pending before a different court, while investigations, including cyber analysis of evidence recovered from the suspects, are ongoing.
Magistrate Odhiambo ordered the preparation of pre-bail reports and directed that the two suspects remain in custody until August 5, 2026, when the matter will be mentioned again.
