By Brian OtienoThe spotlight has now turned on car bazaars in Mombasa county as the fight against drugs took a new turn yesterday.
County commissioner Nelson Marwa said some of the car bazaars in the county are now under 24-hour surveillance on suspicion of being used as collection and transportation centres for drugs.
Addressing the press after a security meeting in his office yesterday, Marwa said drug barons have devised a new way to transport drugs.
He said the drugs are now stuffed in tyres, especially the tubeless ones, and go through several roadblocks undetected.
"One out of 20 car bazaars have some funny business going on in them," Marwa said.
"The cars on display may not be just cars. Some have tyres that have those things," he added.
Kisauni was pinpointed as the most notorious constituency in drug abuse and dealing.
Marwa instructed chiefs and their assistants to come up with a list of suspected drug peddlers, dealers and barons in their locations and report to him.
"I want those reports by Wednesday," he said.
The county commissioner said the fight against drugs is not a one-man show but a collective effort.
"Majority of the drugs in the county head to Kisauni. Why Kisauni?" Marwa said.
He said security officers have closed down 10 drug dens in Likoni, six in Changamwe, six in Kisauni and seven in Mvita.
Marwa said drugs and chang'aa are causes of crime. He said, however, that crime has reduced significantly in Mombasa.
"If we want to deal with insecurity in this county, we must address the factors that precipitate this insecurity," he said.
Marwa said chang'aa brewing dens are also on the rise in the county and pinpointed Kisauni and Likoni as the most notorious areas.
He said he was shocked that a woman reportedly brews chang'aa behind the Likoni police station and he put security agents in Likoni on notice.