Woman Arrested at JKIA with Cocaine Worth KSh13.5 Million

A woman wanted by Kenyan detectives was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) while allegedly attempting to leave the country with cocaine worth more than KSh13.5 million.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, who had reportedly been on the watch list since last year, was intercepted on Friday, 25 September, as she prepared to board a flight to Bangladesh. The operation was conducted by the Kenya Airports Criminal Investigations (KACI) unit following a stop order issued by the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB).

A search at the airport found three small bags containing a white substance. Preliminary field tests indicated that the substance was cocaine. The consignment weighed about 3,383 grammes and was estimated by investigators to have a street value of KSh13,530,720.

The suspect was taken to JKIA Police Station as detectives from NANIB and the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU) continued investigating the case and pursuing leads into the network suspected of being behind the trafficking attempt. KACI Director Ms B Kanyai said the authorities were treating the case seriously and would not allow Kenyan airports to be used as routes for international drug trafficking.

“KACI, in partnership with other law-enforcement agencies, remains resolute in ensuring that Kenyan airports are not turned into conduits for narcotics trafficking,” she said, adding that those involved would face the consequences of the law.

The arrest is part of Kenya’s wider efforts to combat drug trafficking through co-operation between law-enforcement agencies. Authorities are continuing to investigate the suspected trafficking network and the circumstances surrounding the attempted departure.