KENYAN WOMAN ARRESTED IN INDIA WITH COCAINE WORTH 271M

A 43-year-old Kenyan woman was apprehended and is being detained by authorities in India for attempting to smuggle cocaine worth USD 2.1 million (approximate measure of, Ksh.271.4 million) into the Nation .

Emily Kanini Rhoda was arrested on Tuesday by customs officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (CSMI) Airport in Mumbai after landing from Nairobi .

Indian customs officials say Rhoda’s anxious behavior led them to suspect she might be ferrying contraband.

“During the examination of the trolley bag carried by her, the officers observed that it contained clothes and shoes. However, after removing all the contents of the said bag, the officers found the bag unusually heavy and on further examination, it was found that some synthetic material was affixed on the bottom side, On removing the said material, 04 transparent plastic packets were found glued to the bottom surface of the said trolley bag. All packets contained white powdered substance, which tested positive for the presence of Cocaine, a narcotic drug. We seized a total of 1,789 grams of cocaine from the passenger, " this was according to a statement by the custom officials.

Interrogations revealed that, Rhoda was allegedly promised, Ksh 100, 000, by Millicent, a woman in Nairobi to smuggle the contraband into India.

“Rhoda has admitted that she was aware of the contents of the bag and she had been promised Ksh.100,000 ($775) if she successfully smuggled the drugs to India,” customs officials stated.
“She was to be given Ksh.100,000 in Delhi for the successful delivery of the drugs to some accomplice of Millicent. Since she was in need of money, she accepted the offer of Millicent to earn some quick, easy money, " they added.

If judged guilty, she could face severe penalties; upto six months in prison or a fine , for offenders caught with less than a kilo and more than 20 years in prison, alongside a hefty fine for larger amounts.

This comes just weeks after another Kenyan woman, Margaret Nduta, was sentenced to death for attempting to smuggle over 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, worth Ksh.27 million, in Vietnam, however, the Kenyan government is in the appealing process to overturn that ruling.