About 10 people are being held by police in Homa Bay and Kisii counties over links to illicit trade in drugs.

Their arrest comes as the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) tightened its grip on illicit substances with successful operations in Homabay and Kisii Counties.

According to the authority, two people were arrested in Oyugis, Homabay County after a high-impact intelligence-led operation conducted jointly by NACADA, the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), and the Administration Police Service.

The two are said to have been found in possession of suspected narcotics and contraband goods.

“Recovered during the raid were 400 packets of uncustomed Supermatch cigarettes, 14 packets of Oris cigarettes, and cash in various denominations all suspected to be proceeds from the illicit trade,” read a statement to newsrooms.

The authority said one of the suspects was also found in possession of what is believed to be cannabis sativa.

The contraband cigarettes the authority said is believed to have been smuggled into the country without customs clearance, contravening revenue and trade regulations.

“The suspects are currently being held at Oyugis Police Station pending further investigation,” NACADA said.

In a related operation in Kisii County, the authority in collaboration with the National Police Service (NPS), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and ANU Nyanza Region, raided a rental residence in Nyakongo Village, Kitutu Central Sub-county where 134 brooms suspected of being narcotic substances and two 90kg sacks of dried plant material believed to be cannabis sativa were recovered.

Eight suspects were apprehended and are in police custody awaiting further legal action.

The authority said the operations follow the recent dismantling of a major drug distribution racket linked to a notorious drug baron in Kisii County just a month ago, underscoring its determination and strategic momentum in dismantling drug networks across the country.

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It said it continues to champion a multi-agency approach to narcotics control, collaborating closely with law enforcement and intelligence partners to protect communities from the harmful grip of drugs.

“The Authority wishes to encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and report drug-related activities anonymously,” the statement read.

The arrests come amid reports that the government is losing billions of shillings in uncollected revenue as it continues to lose ground in the battle against illicit alcohol.

A new report commissioned by the Alcoholic Beverages Association of Kenya (ABAK) in conjunction with Euromonitor International show that illegal alcohol now accounts for 60 per cent of all alcoholic beverages consumed across the country, a staggering increase of 27 percent since 2022.

This paints a grim picture of a runaway underground economy powered by homemade brews, tax evasion, smuggling, and counterfeiting, resulting to an annual fiscal loss of Sh120 billion.