Operation angamiza dawa ya kulevya nchini Kenya, ‘narcotics trafficking’. Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) has arrested five individuals involved in a botched cocaine smuggling attempt.
At around 10pm, anti-narcotics detectives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport thwarted an attempt by a woman to traffic 57 pellets of cocaine to Madagascar.
The suspect, Apoko Damaris Adhiambo, 32, was apprehended at terminal A1’s central screening area while attempting to board Kenya Airways flight KQ 256 to Antananarivo.
A body scanner detected suspicious items concealed on her private part, that prompt authorities do further search leading to the discovery of 600g of cocaine.
After subsequent interrogation revealed Apoko’s connection to a Ugandan national named Harriet Asaba, residing in Nairobi. Asaba was swiftly located and arrested on Accra Road.
The investigation led to the discovery of an additional 33 pellets of cocaine at the VIP Beauty Shop in the Free Area Hotel building.
Three more suspects, including a Ugandan national, Nangonzi Shirah, Esther Wanjiru (24), and Sophia Kathambi (24), were arrested at the scene.
The recovered substances, subjected to presumptive tests, tested positive for cocaine.
The total weight of the seized narcotics amounts to approximately 996 grams.
Prosecution proceedings have commenced against the apprehended suspects, while efforts continue in collaboration with Interpol to identify and apprehend the recipients of the illicit drugs in Antananarivo.