Kenyan arrested in India with cocaine worth Sh186 million
The Kenyan national was arrested in Indian with cocaine worth Sh186 million ($1.44 million).
What you need to know:
- During questioning, the passenger admitted to having ingested capsules containing narcotics.
- Laboratory tests later confirmed the substance was cocaine, weighing a total of 822 grams.
A Kenyan national is being held in India for trying to smuggle cocaine worth Sh186 million ($1.44 million).
Indian customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport said they arrested the male suspect on Sunday with the drugs in his tummy.
The suspect was apprehended on December 17, 2024 on arrival in Delhi from Nairobi on an Air India flight.
Customs officials said they were alerted after noticing the passenger’s unusual behavior on arrival.
“The Gait and movement of the Pax (passenger) was unusual and sensing his unusual behaviour, Customs Officers maintained a vigil over him,” the officials said.
The suspect was intercepted and placed in custody after crossing the Green Channel and attempting to leave the terminal in a hurry.
During questioning, the passenger admitted to having ingested capsules containing narcotics.
“He voluntarily cooperated with the authorities and he was taken to New Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital for a medical procedure to extract the hidden items,” the officials said.
Under expert medical supervision, authorities said the suspect excreted 77 capsules. Laboratory tests later confirmed the substance was cocaine, weighing a total of 822 grams.
The officials seized the contraband under provisions of the Indian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985, which allows competence officers to confiscate illegal drugs or substance as well as detain suspects.
In India, cocaine is among banned substances and transporting or selling it is illegal.
Penalties for offenders often vary depending on the amount you are found with. They include up to 6 months in jail or a fine when found with less than a kilo to more than 20 years in jail with a fine if found with what authorities can assess as a “commercial quantity.”
However, offences related to drug trafficking cannot be suspended, remitted or commuted.
The latest incident follows the arrest of a Kenyan woman at Chennai International Airport. The woman had also ingested 90 capsules of cocaine worth Sh2.15 million ($17, 000).
The suspect was arrested on December 7, 2024 after she arrived at the airport from Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
"Acting on specific information, a Kenyan woman passenger who arrived in Chennai from Addis Ababa on December 7 on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit. A search of her person revealed 90 cylindrical hyperdense objects with medical assistance," Customs officials said.
The 1.4kg substances seized from the woman later tested positive for cocaine and the suspect taken into custody.
In another incident, a 24-year-old Kenyan was recently convicted in Indian for his involvement in a sophisticated skimming operation targeting Indian citizens.
The Kenyan national was sentenced him to eight years in prison on December 30, 2024.
According to court documents, the suspect was initially in the country on a student visa which he overstayed and turned to cybercrime, specifically skimming.
Skimming involves the illegal acquisition of sensitive information, including credit card details and personal data from ATMs.
Indian law enforcement agencies said they used advanced technical techniques to locate and arrest the suspect, who they believe is part of an international skimming ring.
The incidents took place in Karnataka, approximately 2,146 kilometres from Delhi.
Investigations revealed that in December 2020, the accused with five accomplices were living in a makeshift hideout pretending to be labourers.
The suspects used expired debit cards to install skimming devices in ATM kiosks, effectively cloning the cards by capturing users' details.
They would then skim the cards in one State in India and then withdraw the stolen funds in another State to conceal their activities from the authorities.
