Anti-Narcotics detectives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) have arrested a 26-year-old drug peddler, Wendy Mbeke Muli just minutes before boarding an outbound flight and recovered 626 grams of cocaine which was in ingested pellets.
According to a police statement, officers grew suspicious after observing her uneasy behavior 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.,” read a statement from Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
According to the police, her behavior prompted them into conducting a more thorough security check which revealed the drugs inside her body.
“She was subjected to a thorough search. It was soon established that she had concealed foreign substances inside her body cavity, prompting immediate medical observation,” the statement added.
While under close monitoring during the day, the suspect excreted a total of 8 pellets in the following two days, the pellets were found by authorities to contain cocaine weighing approximately 626.65 grams after being analyzed.
Her attempt is the latest in a series of intercepted smuggling efforts at JKIA, where security and narcotics enforcement teams remain on high alert.
The suspect currently under police custody is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Monday, June 16, 2025 to face charges related to drug trafficking as investigations are ongoing to determine the origin and intended destination of the narcotics, as well as any accomplices who may have been involved.
