A 43-year-old Kenyan woman was arrested on Sunday at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine into India by swallowing drug-filled pellets.
According to officials from India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the woman arrived from Nairobi on Friday morning and was intercepted shortly after entering the airport, following an intelligence-led operation.
“Acting on intelligence, DRI officers tracked and apprehended the suspect as she attempted to move through the airport with no visible signs of contraband,” a source told The Indian Express.
A thorough search of her luggage and clothing did not reveal any drugs.
However, during interrogation, she reportedly confessed to swallowing six pellets containing narcotics.
Following court approval, she was admitted to JJ Hospital for medical examination, where doctors successfully retrieved all six capsules from her stomach.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the pellets contained a total of 665.5 grams of cocaine.
The suspect was immediately placed under arrest and remains in custody as investigations continue.
Authorities are working to identify her local contacts and the broader network behind the smuggling operation.
“It appears she was part of a wider drug smuggling racket operating from Kenya,” said an official close to the investigation.
This case adds to a growing trend of drug trafficking incidents involving couriers from Africa, particularly Kenya, using India as a transit or destination point.
Earlier this year, in April, Indian customs officials arrested another 43-year-old Kenyan woman named Emily for smuggling 1.7 kilograms of cocaine valued between sh225 million and sh300 million (Rs 15 to 20 crores).
Emily was apprehended at the same airport upon arrival from Nairobi via Doha.
During a baggage inspection, customs officers discovered four packets containing powdery narcotics, which a field test later confirmed as cocaine.
Indian authorities have since intensified surveillance on drug trafficking routes linking Africa and India as they seek to dismantle these transnational networks.
The Kenyan woman arrested last weekend now faces prosecution under India’s stringent narcotics laws, while investigations into the full extent of the smuggling ring continue.
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