A Kenyan national was on Saturday arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) of Ghana for allegedly being in possession of illegal substances.
NACOC said the woman was intercepted trying to smuggle the alleged cocaine weighing 11.04 kilograms at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) worth USD309,000 (Sh40 million).
The 35-year-old woman was apprehended during a routine check at the arrival hall after disembarking from a South African Airways flight from Nairobi to Accra via Johannesburg.
“A search of her luggage revealed packages of Cremora food that contained the concealed drugs. Preliminary questioning revealed that she had confirmed possession of the consignment in her luggage, and she was later arrested for further investigation,” NACOC said in its report.
The exhibits allegedly picked from her have been sent to the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA) for analysis and report, while she is being held in prison pending further investigations and prosecution.
The Ghanaian authority is warning local and foreign nationals who are involved in the illegal trade saying it was committed to reducing the drug trafficking threat to the country.
“The possession and transportation of illicit drugs without lawful authority is illegal and punishable under sections 40 (1) and 41 (1) of Act 1019 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020,” NACOC warned.
On April 9, a Kenyan woman was arrested in Hong Kong for smuggling one kilogram of a narcotic substance believed to be cocaine.
The cocaine, which was concealed inside her body, was held in 67 pellets and has an estimated street value of HK$900,000 (Sh15.4 million), according to Hong Kong police.
The woman, reportedly an information technology manager, was then handed over to the customs’ drug investigation group for further probe.
The 35-year-old woman, who is said to have been acting suspiciously, was arrested on April 9, at the Hong Kong International Airport as she arrived from Nairobi via Addis Ababa.
Customs officers picked the woman for inspection before escorting her to a local hospital for examination.
As she waited to be examined, the woman allegedly excreted the suspected drugs before being arrested.
"As at April 10, the arrested woman has excreted 67 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about one kilogram in total," said Hong Kong's Customs Excise Department in a statement.
She was charged at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on April 11 with one count of trafficking a dangerous drug into Hong Kong.
"The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of HK$5 million (Sh85 million) and life imprisonment," said the Hong Kong Customs Department.
These are the latest such narcotics to be nabbed outside after originating in Kenya.
Most traffickers use the Ethiopian airline for connections from Nairobi, officials say.
