Kenya finds weapons, drugs on Norway-flagged ship

Kenyan security agents have found an unspecified amount of weapons and drugs on a Norwegian-flagged ship they intercepted last week, a senior police officer said.

East Africa has become a key export route for Afghan heroin destined for Europe.

Coastguards and navies from the region, short of funds and anti-trafficking expertise, have struggled to stem the flow of drugs through their waters.

Kenyan authorities boarded the Hoegh Transporter, owned and operated by Norway’s Hoegh Autoliners, last Thursday saying it was suspected of carrying drugs and firearms.

“We cannot tell how many weapons have been recovered because the exercise is still ongoing and we don’t want to jeopardize it by giving incomplete information,” Francis Wanjohi, Coast regional police commander, told Reuters late on Tuesday.

“For the drugs they have to [be] weighed to establish how much they are, and then tested to determine which exact type they are.”

A Hoegh Autoliners spokeswoman declined to comment on the report as the investigation was still ongoing.

Mombasa handles imports of fuel and other goods and exports of tea and coffee from the entire East African region.