Anti-narcotics investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) successfully thwarted a cocaine smuggling operation at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) this week.
According to reports, a woman had plotted to traffic 57 pellets of cocaine to Madagascar, devising a plan to evade security measures at the bustling airport.
Here’s what unfolded: On Tuesday, March 26, at 10:30 pm, Apoko Damaris Adhiambo was intercepted at terminal A1’s central screening area while attempting to board Kenya Airways KQ 256 flight to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Utilizing a body scanner, authorities detected suspicious items concealed around the 32-year-old’s person, prompting an immediate search which led to the discovery of 600 grams of the illicit substance.
A subsequent spot test confirmed the presence of cocaine.
Following interrogation by female anti-narcotics officers, Apoko disclosed being recruited by a Ugandan national identified as Harriet Asaba, residing in Nairobi. Through forensic techniques, investigators tracked Asaba to Accra Road in Nairobi CBD and promptly apprehended her.
Asaba cooperated with authorities, leading them to the Free Area Hotel building and the VIP Beauty Shop, where an additional 33 pellets of crack cocaine were seized.
During this operation, three more individuals were arrested: Nangonzi Shirah, a Ugandan national, and two Kenyan nationals, Esther Wanjiru (24) and Sophia Kathambi (24).
Subsequent testing confirmed the second recovery to be cocaine, weighing approximately 396 grams. While prosecution procedures have commenced for the detained suspects, ongoing investigations, in collaboration with InterPol, aim to locate the intended recipients of the narcotics in Antananarivo.
