A 25-year-old woman’s dream getaway to India ended before it began after she was caught attempting to smuggle cocaine through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Caroline Wanjiku Mwangi was intercepted by the Anti-Narcotics Unit moments before boarding a flight to Goa. Officers conducting a routine check became suspicious of her luggage and subjected it to a more thorough inspection.
What they found was far from the ordinary—a pair of smaller bags hidden within her suitcase, containing a white powdery substance wrapped in yellow cellotape. Preliminary tests confirmed the substance was cocaine, weighing 1.3 kilograms.
“This was not just a routine traveler. The concealment method and quantity indicated a well-planned trafficking attempt,” said a senior officer from the Anti-Narcotics Unit who requested anonymity due to the ongoing investigations.
Mwangi was immediately taken into custody and is currently being held at the JKIA Police Station. She is expected to appear in court soon as investigations continue.
Authorities confirmed that the seized drugs are being held as exhibits.
“Her flight plan may have said Goa, but she’s landed in serious legal trouble instead,” the officer added.
With intensified surveillance at Kenyan airports, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has issued a warning to those considering using Kenya as a drug trafficking route: “We are watching. We will catch you.”
What was supposed to be a sunny escape has now become a sobering reality for Mwangi—a cautionary tale for others flirting with the dark trade of drug trafficking.
