A Kenyan woman has been arrested by Indian authorities after being caught attempting to smuggle liquid cocaine into the country via Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.
According to the Hindustan Times, the woman had arrived in Mumbai from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when officers from India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) flagged her luggage during a routine security check.
Although the initial search did not raise any alarms, two bottles of what appeared to be moisturising lotion were found to contain 1.57 litres of liquid cocaine, valued at ₹15.71 crore (approximately Sh238 million).
“The female passenger has been arrested under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act,” a DRI official told the publication.
“We are investigating to find out who was supposed to receive the consignment in India.”
Authorities said the discovery was based on a tip-off and described the smuggling technique as sophisticated, noting that the viscous texture of the cocaine closely resembled that of lotion, making detection difficult during standard inspections.
This latest incident is part of a worrying pattern involving Kenyan nationals, particularly women, being used to traffic high-value narcotics into India through Addis Ababa as a transit route.
In a separate incident at the same airport, another Kenyan woman was caught attempting to smuggle cocaine worth approximately Sh215 million.
Authorities became suspicious of her behaviour and conducted a body scan, which revealed 90 cylindrical objects in her stomach.
The woman was later assisted to egest the objects, which tested positive for cocaine.
Just weeks earlier, on April 3, Indian customs officials apprehended yet another Kenyan woman with 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value estimated at Sh225 million to Sh300 million (Rs 15 to 20 crore).
Authorities in India say that drug traffickers are increasingly resorting to innovative concealment methods to bypass airport security.
Central enforcement agencies have intensified operations at major airports like Mumbai’s CSMIA to counter the rising trend of drug trafficking via international couriers.
Investigations are ongoing to identify the drug trafficking networks involved and their local collaborators in India.
The arrested woman remains in custody pending further interrogation and legal proceedings.
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