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By David Ogot

Opium poppy worth millions of shillings was uprooted yesterday from seperate plots totalling about 2.5 acres in Nyambari village of Lari Division in Kiambu District. Two suspects were held in the raid while a third one is still at large.

The operation which started at about 11.30 am, was led by acting Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the CID, Mr. Cripus Kinyua. He said it was the first time that they had heard of the opium growing in Africa.

Poppy is the plant from which heroin is produced and the type discovered in Lari is used to make Mexican heroin known locally as brown sugar, due to its brown colour, he said. Kenyan autrhorities have only dealt with cannabis sativa (bhang) and it had been assumed that all the heroin netted in the country was from outside.

The Deputy Officer Commnading Kiambu Police Division (OCPD), Mr. Eluid Gikung, said that most of the buyers were from Eastleigh Estae in Nairobi.

Mr. Kinyua, who was accompanied by the District CID Officer, Mr. Japheth Mwania, said that he had told the area chief, Mr. Joseph Gatiri, to hold barazas to educate wananchi on the drug. Others might only have a vague idea and it was important that they know they were dealing with an illegal and dangerous drug he said.

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