A 43-year-old Kenyan woman was recently arrested in India for attempting to smuggle 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, which is valued between Ksh225 million and Ksh300 million (Rs 15 to 20 crores).
The woman, identified as Emily, was caught by Indian customs officials after arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Tuesday.
She had been transporting the illegal drugs from Nairobi to Delhi, with a stopover in Doha.
The authorities acted on intelligence that led them to inspect her baggage. Upon inspection, they found four packets containing a suspicious powder.
A field test later confirmed that the substance was indeed narcotics. The total weight of the drugs was 1,789 grams, making the haul worth millions, depending on the drug’s quality.
It was revealed that Emily had hidden the cocaine in her trolley bag after boarding her flight. She was detained and questioned by officials under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which deals with the smuggling of large quantities of illegal substances.
During her interrogation, Emily admitted that another woman had given her the drugs in Nairobi. In return, she was promised a payment of Ksh100,000 (about INR 66,110) for successfully delivering the drugs to a contact in Delhi.
Customs officials are now investigating Emily’s travel history to see if she has been involved in smuggling drugs or other illegal items to India in the past.
This arrest comes just weeks after another Kenyan national, Margaret Nduta, made headlines for being arrested for drug trafficking in Vietnam.
Margaret Nduta, who was caught at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, has been sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking.
On March 6, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court handed down the death penalty, reflecting the country’s tough stance on drug-related crimes.
The Kenyan government is working to bring Nduta back to Kenya to serve her sentence, and a team has been sent to negotiate her release. While no progress has been reported, Nduta has filed an appeal against her death sentence.
Join Gen z and millennials TaskForce official 2025 WhatsApp Channel To Stay Updated On time the ongoing situation https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaWT5gSGufImU8R0DO30
