NAIROBI,Kenya, Jul 4- Three foreign nationals have been charged at the Kibera Chief Magistrate’s Court after detectives allegedly found them in possession of raw emeralds worth approximately Sh19 million without the licences and documentation required under Kenyan law.The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said detectives from its Anti-Illegal Mining and Smuggling Investigations (AIMSI) unit arrested the three on June 30, during an operation targeting illegal mineral trade.According to the DCI, the suspects—Milton Ivan Espana Diaz, a United States national, Luis Carlos Garcia Ayala, a Colombian national, and Manuel De Jesus Arevalo Rodriguez, a Mexican national—were found in possession of 74 grams of raw emerald.“Preliminary investigations revealed that these individuals lacked proper documentation regarding the origins of the minerals in question, as well as a mineral dealer’s or trading license from the State Department for Mining,” DCI said.The trio were subsequently arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court at Kibera, where they faced two charges: dealing in minerals without a valid dealer’s licence and unauthorised possession of precious minerals.They pleaded not guilty to both counts.The court released each accused on a bond of Sh500,000 with a surety of a similar amount, or an alternative cash bail of Sh200,000, and directed them to provide one contact person.The court also ordered that all three surrender their passports pending the hearing and determination of the case.The DCI said the prosecution is part of ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal mining and mineral smuggling, warning that Kenya’s mineral resources can only be exploited within the country’s legal and regulatory framework.The agency said it remains committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in the unlawful extraction, possession and trade of precious minerals as part of broader efforts to safeguard the country’s natural resources and curb illicit mineral trafficking.