Police in Kenya arrest suspect wanted by US with $1M bounty

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) announced Tuesday that they have arrested 46-year-old Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh, who was on the most wanted lists of both US and Kenyan authorities for his alleged involvement in wildlife and drug trafficking.

According to the DCI, authorities received a tip from the public following the announcement of a $1 million reward each for any information leading to the arrest of Saleh and another accomplice, Abdi Hussein Ahmed, who is still in hiding.

“His arrest is as a result of our outstanding relationship with members of the public who provided information regarding the fugitive’s whereabouts,” the DCI said in a statement, calling on members of the public to help police with information on the whereabouts of the remaining suspect.

Also confirming the arrested was the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Nairobi, Eric Kneedler, who informed the media that Saleh was “intercepted by officers in Liboi, Garissa County as he attempted to flee to neighboring Somalia.”

“We welcome the news that Aziz Saleh has been captured. This would not have been possible without the public’s support.”

Kneedler added that the details of the informant would be withheld for their own security, vowing that the US will honor its pledge to reward them the $1 million.

In June 2021, following a joint investigation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York returned an indictment charging Saleh and other coconspirators with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.

Authorities say the two men also trafficked tons of elephant ivory.