Operation Mchele: Inside Kenyas drink spiking crisis
Drink spiking is a crime that has lately dominated national
headlines with shocking revelations emerging of how one operative, now
deceased, made booming business out of it.
The criminal act involves someone putting alcohol or drugs
into another person’s drink without their knowledge.
Kenyans call it ’Mchele’ in reference to rice-like pellets
used by perpetrators of the crime and Citizen TV caught up with an informer and
former insider, a lady who had been in the trade for over three years before
quitting.
She takes us inside the dark world of the drink spiking
menace and reveals how easily the drugs used are acquired from unscrupulous
medical practitioners.
In Nairobi, this concrete jungle of opportunities that can
serve an equal amount of perilous offerings, when darkness falls here, either
end of the stick is game…
Three weeks ago, a Nairobi man fell into a trap of a ‘Pishori’ lady
as the drink spiking women are commonly known. It was during this year’s Labour
Day celebrations when he and his friends decided to visit a pub along Kiambu
Road to unwind.
“Tukikunywa nikaskia kuna joto nikaenda nje..wakati narudi
kuna msichana alikuwa amekaa pekee nikaenda kujiintroduce tukaongea tukaanza
kujuana…vile tulikuwa tunatoka tukateremka tukanunua chakula halafu nikampeleka
kwenye alikuwa anaishi…hapo ndo nakumbuka last communication,” he narrates.
“Kwa memory yangu yote anything that happened on tuesday
hadi friday sikumbuki….friday nilianza kukumbuka vitu zilianza kukumbuka vitu.”
In the CCTV footage of the bar he visited, a woman is seen
approaching the counter of a food establishment along the same Kiambu road.
“I cannot tell because wakati tulitoka kwa place
burudani…but nakumbuka tukienda place ya kununua chakula na place aliniambia
aliishi…niliuma food na hapo ndo memory yangu ilipotea kabisa..nakumbuka tukiangaliana
na miwani,” he said.
Rude shock befell him after he found out he had lost
thousands of shillings transferred from his M-Pesa account. The audacious suspect also took a Fuliza mobile
loan through his phone.
“Niliona statement ya the last 5 transactions nilikuwa
nimetumiwa kwanza shillingi 20 na a lacy na shillingi 2 na gentleman then
kidogo naona nimetuma pesa mingi kwa huyo mtu alinitumia shillingi mbili.”
Jacob's ordeal is just one among many similar cases reported
in various hanging joints within the city. He is however one of the few brave
enough to come forward to share his experience and to report his experience to
the authorities.
The sedative drugs, despite being categorized as those to be sold only on prescription, we find, can be easily accessed. With the help of a reformed 'Pishori' lady, we went undercover down the dark world of criminal activity.
We headed to a pharmacy in Embakasi, our mission here is to
attempt to purchase a number of sedative drugs commonly used by these criminals.
The pharmacist tells us that they do not have Dormicum per
our request, but offers Cozepam or Amitriptyline.
Amitriptyline, we are told, is “20 times better.” Our
informer was not immediately given the controlled drug as the pharmacist on
duty pressed with more inquiries.
They wanted to know who would be using it, and demanded a
prescription, failure to which we would not be sold it.
But our informer made a phone call to an alleged supplier in
the area. We hit the road and drove further to an area where our informer met
with a person described as a notorious supplier.
Following closely behind him, we were led to a pharmacy that
illegally sells the sedative drugs. The supplier who has been in the business
for a long time advised on the best drug and how to effectively use it on
unsuspecting victims for the best and instant result.
“Hiyo ni kazuri na kama ako pombe katambeba haraka…kama
hayuko pombe enda uweke mbili,” we were told.
They proceeded into this medical clinic in the area and
after a short while we got what we wanted.
“Ule ananiuzia 50
moja..si unaona venye ziko…ningekuwa wewe ningeenda niume zikuwe unga umwambie
mnakula..ni vizuri ukiweka kwa chakula..unajua kama hayuko pombe enda utafune
umwekee mbili zinamtosha.
“Ukiona hashiki na hizi vitu ujue ni mgonjwa…hazibebangi
watu wa aids..lakini ukiweka kamoja hivi inatosha weka kabisa usijali…ukiweka
pombe lazima itamwagika…lakini weka na ujanja…ukiona si mlevi vile enda
umkulishe ata zote but nae atalala siku tatu lakini wewe usijali si bora utoke
na kenye kiko…pombe ya machupa hataielewa.”
After giving our informer instructions on how to use it, she
wished her luck and left.
Just like that, Dormicum one the drugs used as mchele was in
our hands. From here, attractive women are usually deployed to execute the
final operation of spiking the drinks of unsuspecting revellers.
“Kabla nireform hii kazi nilikuwa nimeifanya for three
years…experience yangu ya kwanza ilikuwa club…na haikuwa na cctv…beshte yangu
akaniambia hapa kuna wateja tumalizane na hii bishara sisi twende….katika
harakati hizo tukaweka na tukapora,” our informer tells us.
The ‘Mchele’ ladies have mastered the art so well in the
elaborate criminal scheme that they know how, where, and when to pounce on
their victims.
“Club yenye iko na cctv hupatiani hapo ndani so unamconvince
msee mwende kwa lodging…hapo atabuy drinks ndo umwekee kwa glass…ataendelea
kunywa na atalala wewe unashika vitu zako unamaliza biashara.”
The drugs according to Dr. Daniella Munene, the vice
President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) are very fast acting.
“As soon as you take the drink in about 5 mins you start
feeling woozy…and it's already in your bloodstream and not in your stomach..you can’t even vomit
it out,” Dr. Munene says.
It is a case that befell Wilberforce Adaka, a resident of
Kayole in Nairobi. He is lucky to have survived, but his ordeal is one he would
almost rather forget.
“Niliingia club nikaanza kuburudika, in the process nikaita
madam fulani tukaongea tukaanza kubadilishana mawazo…from there tukakunywa.
“At some point akasema hatuko mahali safe tuchukue room,
tukaenda kwa room from there sikumbuki what happenned. Nilijipata referral hospital
Eldoret,” Adaka narrates.
Dr. Munene says some people who are lucky enough to get to
the hospital can have the situation handled.
“For some people, they were exposed to small amounts. People
who don't go to hospital say they feel sedated even for days.”
According to Dr. Munene, the drugs used by criminals are
usually of the depressant nature. They work by slowing down your nervous system
and dulling your responses. They make it harder for you to resist an assault.
One of them is Rohypnol or date rape pill, a prescription
drug used to treat severe insomnia and assists in anaesthesia.It is a
tranquilizer which can relieve tension and make you feel very relaxed.
Ketamine, sometimes called K, is meant to be used among
veterinarians as an anesthetic for animals. Use of this drug creates an out of
body experience which becomes more extreme the more you take of the drug
Midazolam, a drug marketed under the brand name Dormicum, is
a powerful sedative.
Scopolamine, also known as Devil’s Breath, is said to have
been commonly used in Colombia or Ecuador to remove a person’s free will,
zombify them so to speak so that they can be assaulted or robbed freely.
It has been described as the world's scariest drug because
of how victims have been convinced instantly to empty their bank accounts or
hand over their keys to their apartments and vehicles.
“Why these drugs are becoming more and more available is
because that type of crime is increasing. Number 2, not all pharmacists are practicing
ethically,” says Dr. Munene.
The Poisons and Pharmacy Board (PPB), a body mandated to
regulate the drugs, says it is not aware of the illicit use of the drugs in the
market.
While responding to our queries, PPB said nevertheless it
has heightened its surveillance with a view to getting to the root of the
matter.
“Sometimes they crackdown on the illegal pharmacists and
when they leave that place, those outlets open the following week because if
they are going around the country by the time they go back to that same region
those people will have done a lot of things. They can do a lot better,” says
Dr. Munene.
Outlets selling the drugs without prescription and those
found in the possession have been warned by the pharmacy and poisons board of
dire consequences which includes a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand
shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or both.
On May 16, Samuel Mugo Mugota was shot and killed in broad
daylight in the Kasarani area of Nairobi. Police linked his killing to the
stupefying business within the area.
They also acknowledged big problems in Kasarani and some
other major clubs. Almost every weekend, police noted, they record a case of
drugging.
Some 12 women were identified by police officers in
connection with the case where the slain Mugo is said to have been deploying to
spike their targets' drinks.
The victims who spoke to us say the Nairobi night life has
taught them the hard way that not all that glitters is gold. The painful
lessons ring every time the thought of visiting entertainment joints cross
their mind.
In the meantime, revelers have been warned by authorities to
carefully scrutinize strangers when out in entertainment joints, always have a
friend watching over your food and drinks and never exceed your alcohol
limit.
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