Effect of K9 Operations on Combating Illicit Narcotics Trade at Port of Mombasa, Kenya

Customs and border control agencies face key challenges in preventing illicit narcotics trade and disrupting transnational smuggling operations. Maintaining the delicate balance between facilitating legitimate trade flows while concurrently deterring those that are illicit is a complex operational task. Therefore, this study sought to determine K9 operations on combating the illicit narcotics trade at the Port of Mombasa, Kenya. The theory that guided this study was the Fraud Triangle Theory. An Explanatory research design was employed. The target population of the study was 387 customs enforcement officers Port of Mombasa, and a sample of 196 respondents, of which 163 respondents were used in the study, showing an 83.2% response rate. The study used primary sources of information with the use of questionnaires for gathering the relevant data. The data was analyzed using descriptive was analyzed terms of the frequency, mean, and the degree of variability (standard deviation). The inferential statistics comprises correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis presented using tables and charts. The beta coefficient results revealed that K9 operations significantly improve efforts to combat the illicit narcotics trade (β = 0.080, p = 0.040), indicating that increased K9 operations positively impact the outcome variable of combating illicit narcotics trade. The study recommends that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the government should invest more in K9 operations at strategic points, such as ports, to enhance detection and interception. Future research on the role of technology in combating the illicit narcotics trade.