A Mombasa based businessman arrested in last week Thursday has been in police custody for four days to give room for further investigations on his involvement in drug trafficking.
Omar Sharif Hussein was on Thursday last week arrested by police officers from Anti-Narcotics Unit before they presented him in court on Friday evening where the prosecution requested the court that he be detained for seven days for further investigation.
Mr Eric Masila who was the prosecutor in the case told Chief Magistrate Edna Nyaloti that the suspect needed to be detained for at least seven days to give the prosecution enough time to pursue all leads.
He said the suspect is being linked with trafficking cocaine with a market value of Sh11,917,600.
He said two other suspects, Juma Majibu Suleiman and Saady Bashir Omar have been charged before another court.
“Owing for the said reason, we request this honourable court to detain the suspect for seven days so that the investigations into the complex web can be completed, and determination to charge the suspect is made,” Mr Masila told the court as quoted by the Standard.
The suspect's lawyers Gachiri Kariuki, Collins Ondeng and George Egunza opposed his detention, arguing that there was no substantial evidence against him and accused the prosecution of malice.
They told the court that their client was a resident in Mombasa with all his family around thus not possible for him to flee.
“The suspect is a resident of Mombasa whose family is in Mombasa. He is available anytime the investigating officers want him. The court can direct that the suspect is released on bond or cash bail and ordered to leave his passport in case the investigating officers think he might be a flight risk. I don’t see any substantial reason the suspect should be detained,” argued Ondeng'.
The court finally detains Hussein for four days at Port Police Station. The matter will be mentioned on August 27, 2019.