A suspected drug trafficker was arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after detectives intercepted her shortly after landing from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In a statement on Monday, November 24, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said 34-year-old Muli Ayan Ndunge was attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country by concealing the narcotics in her stomach.
"A drug courier’s daring attempt to slip into Kenya with a stomach full of cocaine ended at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, after sharp-eyed Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) detectives intercepted her moments after landing," the statement read.
DCI officers said the woman was identified and stopped before she could leave the airport, adding that her behaviour and intelligence gathered earlier prompted a closer look, which quickly confirmed their suspicions.
"The drug peddler, 34-year-old Muli Ayan Ndunge, had just touched down from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when detectives, acting on precise intelligence, quietly closed in. She was escorted to the ANU offices for observation, and within minutes, the truth began to spill out, as she emitted 14 pellets of cocaine," the statement added.
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Detectives said they believed more pellets were concealed in her body and remained on high alert as they continued monitoring her.
"Knowing there was more, detectives maintained a tight watch, and soon another 14 pellets followed, bringing the tally to 28 pellets, weighing 912.74 grams valued at approximately Ksh3,650,960 in the streets," the statement further read.
After all the pellets were expelled, officers conducted a medical scan to ensure nothing remained in her stomach.
"A subsequent X-ray scan later confirmed her abdomen was clean, sealing the case with clinical certainty. Ndunge remains in custody as detectives prepare her for arraignment," the statement concluded.
This comes days after three Kenya Airways employees have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each for trafficking heroin valued at more than Ksh60 million.
According to a statement released on Saturday, November 22, by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the JKIA Court handed down the sentences to Lennox Chengek Chestit, a cabin crew member; Kenneth Sinzore Isundu, a ground staffer; and Alfric Odhiambo Otieno, also a cabin crew member.
In addition to the custodial sentences, each convict was ordered to pay substantial fines ranging between Ksh88 million and Ksh90 million.
Should they fail to pay the fines, they will serve an additional one-year sentence, to run concurrently with their main sentences.
The convictions arose from two separate counts of trafficking in narcotic drugs.
In the first count, Chestit and Isundu were found guilty of trafficking 9,845.70 grams of heroin valued at Ksh29,537,100.
In the second count, Otieno and Isundu were convicted of trafficking 20 kilograms of heroin worth Ksh60 million.
Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku directed that Isundu's sentences run concurrently, given his involvement in both counts.
The magistrate dismissed the convicts' appeals for non-custodial sentences, citing strict legal provisions governing drug-related offences.
"All three asked the court for a non-custodial sentence, but the court is bound by the Community Service Orders Act. Drug trafficking offences do not fit the parameters for non-custodial sentencing," Magistrate Thuku ruled.
The court further expressed concern over the reputational damage the convicts' actions could inflict on Kenya Airways and the Kenya Airports Authority.
"To see employees of Kenya Airways themselves involved in drug trafficking is more damaging than any of them possibly imagined," the magistrate noted.
