Three foreign nationals have been charged in court after they were allegedly found in possession of raw emeralds worth about Ksh19 million without the required licences and supporting documents.
The suspects, identified as Milton Ivan Espana Diaz from the United States, Luis Carlos Garcia Ayala from Colombia, and Manuel De Jesus Arevalo Rodriguez from Mexico, were arrested on June 30, 2026, during an operation conducted by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
According to the DCI, the operation was carried out by officers attached to the Anti-Illegal Mining and Smuggling Investigations (AIMSI) unit.
During the exercise, detectives reportedly recovered 74 grams of raw emeralds from the three men.
Investigators later launched inquiries into the origin of the minerals and the suspects’ involvement in the trade. Preliminary findings, according to the DCI, indicated that the trio did not have documents showing where the emeralds had been sourced from.
Authorities further established that the suspects allegedly lacked a valid mineral dealer’s licence or trading permit issued by the State Department for Mining, which is required for individuals or entities involved in the mineral trade in Kenya.
Following their arrest, the three were presented before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kibera, where prosecutors charged them with two offences.
The first charge relates to dealing in minerals without a valid dealer’s licence, while the second concerns the unauthorised possession of precious minerals.
The accused persons denied all the charges brought against them and entered not guilty pleas before the court.
After considering the matter, the court granted each of the three suspects bond terms of Ksh500,000 with a surety of a similar amount.
As an alternative, they were allowed to secure their release by paying a cash bail of Ksh200,000 and providing one contact person.In addition to the bond conditions, the court ordered that all three deposit their passports with the court.
The passports will remain in court custody until the case is heard and determined.
The case now moves to the next stage of the legal process, where prosecutors are expected to present evidence supporting the charges while the accused persons prepare their defence.
The matter remains before the court for further directions and hearing.
