JKIA Passenger Arrested In Ethiopia With Cocaine Worth Ksh1.7B

The Ethiopian Customs Commission on Wednesday, September 28, arrested an individual who had travelled from Kenya with Ksh1.7 billion (77314.6M USD) worth of cocaine at Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia.

A report by Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation indicated that the unidentified suspect had concealed the two products inside her bags.

She was nabbed using the Green Line to smuggle two luggage weighing 48.62 and 48.86 kilograms.

The cocaine, which weighed 97 kilograms was seized by the customs official when the suspect arrived at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.

She had successfully smuggled the illegal drug from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

The suspect is said to have concealed the items by faking a book and wrapping it in aluminum foil in an attempt to sneak it in without being detected by the X-ray machine.

A study published by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) in June regarding the culture of drug abuse indicated that 52.2 per cent of Kenyans had access to drugs.

It further showed that 80.7 per cent of them abused drugs because they had access to it while 88.2 per cent reported abusing drugs since their institutions were not strict on it.

72 per cent of abuses are in the student age while 78.2 per cent got money to buy drugs from their parents.

In mid-June, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) deported a foreigner who was wanted by the United States Government.

The Guyanese national had been arrested immediately after touching down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on June 16 on suspicion that he dealt with a gang that smuggled cocaine into various countries including the United States.

In 2015, he is said to have smuggled 1.5kgs of cocaine through shoe luggage while entering the US.

He was first arrested in 2016 after he was nabbed with the consignment but was released on the basis of the pre-trial which he violated.