MWAU

Share This Story
86
Share

The United States has revealed why it issued sanctions against Kilome MP Harun Mwau and businesswoman Naima Mohammed in relation to drug trafficking.

Addressing journalists via a secure video link in the US Embassy in Nairobi Tuesday, Adam Szubin, the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the US Department of Treasury said Mr Mwau’s designation as a drug kingpin by the US was in relation to the 2004 cocaine find at Pepe containers depot, which the US believes is owned by the MP.

Mr Szubin added that the US is aware of what it called Mr Mwau’s “longstanding reputation” in trafficking of drugs.

“We view him as among the more powerful and active narcotics traffickers in the region,” he told journalists.

Mr Szubin, whose office is behind the identification and imposition of sanctions on narcotics traffickers under the Kingpin Act, said that Ms Naima, popularly known as Mama Leila, was blacklisted from doing business in the US or dealing with the US companies because of her position as the “head of one of the largest drug trafficking rings operating in Nairobi.”

He said Mama Leila deals in heroin, cocaine and other prohibited synthetic chemicals and that she had links with courier networks operating in Europe, South Asia and in Africa.

The OFAC boss said that the sanctions against Mr Mwau were “not criminal but civil”, insisting that it was an administrative process in dealing with the billions of dirty money in the US economy.

Mr Szubin said that up to 10 US agencies were involved in collecting evidence against Mr Mwau and Mama Leila “for more than a year and in some cases several years” and that what they had was foolproof.

“It’s not a quick or short process. We build a case slowly and carefully to ensure that it is soundly built,” he said, revealing that the US Department of Treasury had a “top-level package, many inches thick” linking the two to drug trafficking.

Under the US law, being named as a key player in trafficking narcotics means that the named person, is prohibited from doing business or moving money through the US. Besides the person’s assets within the jurisdiction of the US are also frozen.



Mr Mwau has pleaded innocent with regard to the US sanctions and has already expressed fear for his life, saying he was being pursued and trailed by unknown people.

On Thursday night, his vehicle was sprayed with bullets by unknown gunmen. Police are investigating the incident.