With the fall of the Akasha empire, following the guilty pleas of the two brothers Ibrahim and Baktash, the Mombasa drug dealing business has remained in the hands of Swaleh Yusuf Ahmed alias Kandereni (Candy Rain).

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And though he is not as successful as the Akashas yet, Kandereni too basks in a well-knit web of police and judicial officers, alongside family members, which has seen him bounce off trouble whenever he is nabbed.

The former matatu driver who is currently out even after being sent to 25 years after being convicted of drug dealing has over the years strengthened his empire and the police are now terming him the new king drug lord.

Also working with him is Tanzanian druglord Masuo Bakari, his sister in law's husband. The two are married to sisters, Asmah Abdalla, Kandereni's wife, and Halima Abdala, Bakari's wife, with both women also involved in the trade.

Coast Regional Commissioner George Elungata says that the group and their relatives-cum-associates are also working with Mohammed Abdalla, alias Shuwaz, who was recently arrested while in a bid to expand to Garissa.

He says that Shuwaz has been in charge of the South Coast.

“He has been influencing police officers to protect him and his business. The police officer who was arrested had already started expanding the business to Garissa," the police boss told the Nation.

The Akasha's took over from their father Ibrahim who was shot dead in the streets of Netherlands some years back. Baktash was earlier in the month sentenced to 25 years in prison by New York Judge Victor Marrerro.

His brother Ibrahim (named after their father), is set to be sentenced in November after they both pleaded guilty to drug dealing.