Kenyan Woman Aboard KQ Flight Arrested Over KSh 281M Cocain Upon Arrival In Mumbai, India

• The woman would be remanded in judicial custody following her arrest in Mumbai on December 28
• Detectives say she had packaged the 1490-gram powdered substance in hair conditioner and body wash bottles
• According to the authorities, the substance is valued at ₹14.90 crore ( equivalent to KSh 281 million)

Mumbai - Indian authorities are detaining a Kenyan national after being apprehended on Thursday, December 28, for allegedly smuggling cocaine.

The woman was detected to have the substance upon landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, flying from Nairobi.

KSh 281m cocaine

According to the authorities, the substance is valued at ₹14.90 crore ( equivalent to KSh 281 million).

Indian detectives reported having successfully seized 1490 grams of a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine borne in a hair conditioner and body wash bottles.

"The ingenious concealment of the drugs involved two black polythene packets cleverly placed within a hair conditioner bottle and a body wash bottle," Hindustan Times quoted the detectives.

She was arrested under the provisions of the Indian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

This came months after another Kenyan woman was detained in Hong Kong after she was arrested while trying to sneak 1 kilogram of a narcotic substance.

Kenyan arrested in Hong Kong

The narcotics that were packed as capsules before being ingested were estimated to be valued at KSh 15.4 million.

She allegedly acted suspiciously, prompting the airport officials to pick her up for screening.

"During Customs clearance, Customs officers found her to be suspicious and suspected that she had dangerous drugs concealed inside her body cavity. The woman was then escorted to the hospital for examination.," Hong Kong authorities reported.

While awaiting to be examined at the facility, she reportedly discharged the pellets in the washroom and was arrested instantly.

"As at April 10, the arrested woman has excreted 67 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1 kg in total," the authoritites further said.

Set to face the law

She was charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug before West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts in April.

Due to increased travel as China opens up to visitors, the country has stepped up measures to deal with transnational drug trafficking activities.

She stared at a life sentence in a foreign nation and a fine of not at least KSh 85 million.