Kenyan Woman, 36, Arrested in India with Sh500 Million Worth of Cocaine

A Kenyan woman has been arrested in India for allegedly smuggling cocaine into the country.

The 36-year-old was apprehended at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, January 15, after being found in possession of cocaine worth Sh506 million (Rs 26 crores). A report by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) reveals that the woman was on a tourist visa, travelling from Nairobi to New Delhi. Due to the suspicion arising from her actions, the inspection personnel opted to interrogate her, consequently uncovering a concealed compartment within her baggage.

Further inspection revealed a white powder weighing 2.5kg, which was later confirmed to be cocaine. Subsequently, the woman was apprehended as law enforcement initiated a probe into her potential association with an illicit global narcotics organization. Officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) state that the suspect was procuring the drugs from a domestic contact and serving as a courier for the shipment. Presently, they are conducting further inquiries to ascertain the origin of the drugs and her network of contacts.

Once the investigations wrap up, the Kenyan will be held accountable under India's legal framework as laid out in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act of 1985. This act was enacted to streamline and amend regulations governing narcotic drugs to impose stringent measures for overseeing and handling unlawful substances and mind-altering substances.

In December 2023, a Kenyan woman was arrested when she landed in India from Addis Ababa. She had hidden cocaine worth Sh8 million inside whiskey bottles.