Yusuf Ahmed Swaleh, a Kenyan believed to have taken over the Akasha drug empire, is dead. His body was found in a forest in Kilifi County on Sunday, with a wound on his head.
The Akashas were a Kenyan family, famous for their expansive drug business that traversed international borders. The family patriarch, Ibrahim Akasha, was shot in the streets of Amsterdam in 2000 by a lone biker.
He and his wife were walking casually to a café, where the elderly Akasha was to chat with a friend. This friend, Magdi Barsoum, owned the café, and his younger brother, Mounir Barsoum, was said to have been in the drug business.
The Akashas are said to be of Palestinian descent, although Ibrahim Akasha’s father, known as Abdallah Ibrahim, grew up in Iraq before moving his family to Kenya.
Ibrahim Akasha’s death marked the beginning of the end of the Akasha drug empire, which covered countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
The Fracturing of the Akasha Family
In 2002, one of the Akasha sons, Kamaldin Akasha, was shot dead in Mombasa, Kenya, just outside his petrol station. The shooter, described as European looking, escaped in a waiting car. The shooting was attributed to family business disagreements.
Two of the Akasha sons, Baktash Akasha Abdalla and Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, were extradited to the US in 2017.
Their extradition came following the nailing of tangible drug trafficking evidence in 2014, involving 99 kg of the heroin drug. This evidence was collected with the help of America’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In 2018, a US court slapped Baktash Akasha with a 25yr jail term, and in 2020, sentenced Ibrahim Akasha to 23 years in jail.
Swaleh Had Several Court Cases
Yusuf Ahmed Swaleh, popularly referred to as Candy Rain, or “Kendereni” in coastal slang, had many drug-related court cases. He had also been accused of money-laundering.
In 2018, a court in Nairobi charged him with trafficking heroin with street value of over Sh.275 million. The drugs were found in a home in Kilifi County, stashed in suitcases.
Decades earlier, in 1996, the late Swaleh had his first drug-related conviction, and was handed a 15yr jail sentence.
It is not clear how much time he spent in Kenyan jails over the years. However, it is apparent the tycoon had a way of securing his freedom.
Yusuf Ahmed Swaleh’s lifeless body was discovered slightly over a week after going missing. Word has it that unknown people took him on Friday, March 8th, disguised as policemen, purportedly for an interrogation.
Drug Use Becoming a Menace among Kenyan Youths
The use of drugs among Kenyan youths has increased in recent years, with the problem being most prevalent at the coast. Clearly, the weakening of the Akasha drug dynasty did not solve the escalating drug problem at the Kenyan coast.
Still, other big towns have not been spared. For example, the drug problem has noticeably pervaded the streets, and also some institutions and residential areas in Nairobi.
Nevertheless, Kenyan authorities are determined to deal with the problem, with the relevant institutions liaising with Interpol.