- The narcotics were found concealed inside three metal cookie tins inside his hand luggage.
- A kilo of cocaine fetches at least Sh5 million depending on the market.
Image: The Star
A Kenyan national was arrested with four kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be worth around Sh24 million at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake, Sir Lanka.
The man who is a car dealer had arrived from Ethiopia on Sunday, September 24 when he was intercepted.
Local officials and media said the suspect had travelled from Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa to Doha in Qatar and had then boarded a Qatar Airways flight bound for Sri Lanka.
The 26-year-old Kenyan was arrested at the arrival terminal by officials of the Sri Lanka Customs narcotics control unit.
He took to the X on Monday to claim innocence.
He was found to be in possession of 180 capsules of cocaine, weighing four kilos, that were found concealed inside three metal cookie tins inside his hand luggage.
A kilo of cocaine fetches at least Sh5 million depending on the market.
The suspect was handed over to officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) at the BIA along with the seized drugs for further investigations, local media said.
Officials said the Kenyan had tried to exit the country using the 'green channel,' a lane intended for passengers without restricted or excessive goods beyond the admissible duty-free allowance.
However, suspicions were raised, leading to a thorough search.
“He was arrested by customs officers while attempting to exit through the ‘Green Channel’ at the airport based on foreign intelligence received by the Sri Lanka Customs narcotics control unit,” a local publication said.
The green channel is typically for passengers with no Customs formalities, but random checks can be conducted, including luggage scanning and physical examinations if necessary.
Despite this being his first visit to Sri Lanka, foreign intelligence had alerted the Customs Narcotics Control Division, leading to a targeted arrest.
The incident is part of an alarming trend involving Kenyan nationals caught in drug trafficking, particularly in Asian countries.
A further probe has been launched on the matter as the suspect remains in custody.
This is the latest string of incidents to happen in recent days putting officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on the spot.
Kenyan officials said they are investigating the cases. Sources said the seizure is a warning Kenya is now a major transit route for the narcotics probably destined for Europe and Asia.
But the detectives said the latest trend of seizures of narcotics locally points to a dangerous scenario that needs attention from authorities.
In 2019, then European Union Ambassador to Kenya Simon Mordue said the Kenyan port of Mombasa accounted for 30 per cent of illegal heroin smuggled into the EU market.
Most of the heroin in the country originates from Afghanistan through the Indian Ocean while cocaine originates from South America.
Kenyan security agencies seized the second-biggest haul of cocaine weighing 100kg and valued at Sh598 million in 2016 in Mombasa that was disguised as sugar.