A woman who has been wanted by law enforcement since last year has been arrested at JKIA with suspected cocaine worth more than Sh13.5 million, the DCI has said.
The woman was intercepted by Kenya Airports Criminal Investigations (KACI) detectives as she prepared to board a flight to Bangladesh. Her arrest followed a stop order issued by the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau (NANIB) over alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking.
Detectives searched her after stopping her at the airport and recovered three small bags containing suspected narcotic drugs.
The DCI said a preliminary field test conducted on the recovered substance was positive for cocaine. The consignment weighed approximately 3,383 grams and was estimated to have a street value of Sh13,530,720.
According to the investigators, the woman had been on the law-enforcement watch list since last year in connection with suspected narcotics trafficking.
She was taken into custody and is being held at JKIA Police Station as investigators continue to pursue leads in the case.
The investigation is being handled by detectives from NANIB and the Financial Investigations Unit (FIU), who are seeking to establish the wider network involved in the suspected trafficking operation.
The arrest came during an operation at the airport involving KACI detectives and other law-enforcement agencies.
Director of Kenya Airports Criminal Investigations B. Kanyai, MBS, DSM, AIG, said the unit would continue working with other agencies to prevent airports from being used to transport illegal drugs.
“KACI, in partnership with other law-enforcement agencies, remains resolute in ensuring that Kenyan airports are not turned into conduits for narcotics trafficking,” Kanyai said.
She warned people involved in the illegal narcotics trade against using Kenyan airports for their activities.
“Those seeking to use the country’s airports as a gateway for the illicit narcotics trade will face the full force of the law,” she said.
The DCI said investigations by NANIB and FIU were ongoing, with detectives following additional leads as they seek more information about the suspected trafficking network.