Anti-narcotics detectives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) are holding a 26-year-old woman who was found with cocaine pellets.
In a statement on Sunday, June 15, 2025, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) confirmed the incident, indicating that the woman was intercepted on her way to board a flight at the international airport.
According to DCI’s statement, the operation was conducted on Friday, June 13, 2025, where the woman was discovered to have ingested cocaine pellets.
Screening
DCI detailed that the 26-year-old was ordered to await a thorough inspection after routine screening set off alarm bells.
“Mbeke, whose confidence was clearly larger than her carry-on luggage, was intercepted by hawk-eyed detectives on June 13, 2025, at around 10:00 a.m., just minutes before boarding an outbound flight. Her uneasy demeanour during a routine screening set off alarm bells,” DCI’s statement read in part.
“Following this, she was subjected to a thorough search. It was soon established that she had concealed foreign substances inside her body cavity, prompting immediate medical observation,” it added.
DCI’s statement added, “Later that day, Mbeke requested to use the washrooms, where she excreted two pellets. The following day, June 14, while still under observation, she excreted six more pellets, bringing the total to eight pellets.”
Detectives have since disclosed that the recovered pellets weigh approximately 626.65 grams.
Following the findings, the 26 year old is expected to be processed before arraignment.
Previous case
The latest incident came months after detectives nabbed another 25-year-old woman with drugs at JKIA.
In a statement, DCI noted that the woman had planned to travel to Goa, India.
Her travel plans hit turbulence when sharp-sighted detectives flagged her down for a routine check. A quick inspection of her luggage led to the discovery of two suspicious smaller bags tucked inside.
Upon opening them, detectives found a white powdery substance neatly packed and wrapped in yellow cellotape.
A spot test confirmed the officers’ suspicions; the results indicated that the powdery substance was cocaine weighing 1.3 kilograms.
