Authorities in India have arrested a 43-year-old Kenyan woman for allegedly smuggling 1.7 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value of Ksh268 million.
According to The Indian Express, Indian customs officials apprehended Emily Rodha upon her arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Tuesday, April 1.
She had traveled from Nairobi to Delhi via Doha, with the illicit drugs hidden inside her trolley bag.
During a routine baggage inspection, customs officers discovered four packets containing a powdery substance, which was later confirmed to be cocaine through field testing.
Following the discovery, Emily was taken into custody for questioning where she admitted that she received the consignment from another woman in Nairobi.
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According to officials, Emily said the woman had promised her a payment of Ksh100,000 for successfully delivering the narcotics to an associate in Delhi.
Following her detention, investigators are reviewing her travel history to determine whether she has been involved in previous smuggling activities in India.
This comes barely a month after another Kenyan woman, Margaret Nduta, was sentenced to death in Vietnam after being caught trafficking over two kilograms of drugs through Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
According to court proceedings, the 37-year-old was hired in July 2023 by a fellow Kenyan to transport a suitcase to Laos, a country in Asia.
According to the indictment, she was instructed to hand over the suitcase to a woman in Laos and then return with unspecified 'goods'.
Nduta was reportedly paid $1,300 (approximately Ksh168,000) for the task, and her travel expenses, including plane tickets fully covered.
According to Vietnamese authorities, Nduta’s journey involved traveling through multiple countries before she arrived at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on July 14, 2023.
Due to a late arrival, airport staff assisted her in completing immigration procedures so they could help her book a flight to Laos.
However, during the process, customs officials discovered over two kilograms of illicit drugs concealed in her suitcase.
Nduta tried defending herself but the court ultimately found her guilty and handed down a death sentence on Thursday, March 6.
