Editor's Review

The suspect, 26-year-old Wendy Mbeke Muli, is expected to be arraigned in court.

Anti-Narcotics detectives at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) arrested a suspected drug trafficker after she was found attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country by ingesting drug pellets.

In a statement on Sunday, June 15, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Wendy Mbeke Muli, was arrested on Saturday morning, June 13.

DCI said Mbeke was intercepted shortly before boarding an outbound international flight after authorities noticed her suspicious behaviour during a routine passenger screening.

“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 said.

According to investigators, a subsequent physical search revealed that she had concealed foreign substances inside her body. 

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Medical personnel were immediately called in, and she was placed under close observation.

“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,” the DCI said.

File image of drug pellets recovered from the suspect

Tests confirmed the pellets contained cocaine with a combined weight of approximately 626.65 grams; the narcotics have since been seized as evidence.

Mbeke is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday, June 16 as investigations continue.

This comes a month after a 25-year-old lady was arrested at JKIA while attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Kenya.

DCI, in a statement on Friday, May 2, revealed that Caroline Wanjiku was travelling to India when she was arrested.

The investigative agency detailed that the lady had hidden the drugs in yellow tapes and stitched them to parts of her handbags.

"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," read the statement in part.

"Upon opening them, detectives found a white powdery substance neatly packed and wrapped in yellow cellotape, definitely not your average souvenir."

DCI added that the drugs were weighed and were estimated to be 1.3 kilograms.