Two Kenyans are in the custody of Indian security agencies after they were nabbed trying to sneak heroin valued at Ksh900 million (60 million Rupees) in one of the country's airports.
A report by the Indian Express, a leading media outlet in the country, indicated that the duo was arrested on Thursday, March 3 shortly after arriving at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in the city of Ahmedabad.
The operation was led by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) which is the premier intelligence and enforcement agency of the Government of India on anti-smuggling matters.
According to the outlet, the heroine seized from the two Kenyans is among the largest ever nabbed at the busy airport.
DRI officials told the country's press that they had received intelligence that the two individuals were headed to the South Asian country with illegal consignment.
Upon arrival, they found that the two had hidden the drugs inside cavities in their bags.
“We received specific intelligence that two passengers from Kenya are arriving at Ahmedabad Airport and are carrying narcotic drugs with them. Acting on the same, officers of the DRI intercepted the said two Kenyan passengers — a male and a female — at the airport.
“On thorough search, the false cavities were found on both sides of the bags, in which eight plastic packings with some sort of granules/powder were concealed," read the statement in part.
The authorities further noted that they emptied the contents of the bags in front of the duo who did not object to the drug trafficking charges.
They also carried out tests on the consignment which returned positive results for heroin. The consignment weight was 8.5 kilograms.
Cases of smugglers trying to sneak illegal consignments in and out of the country have been on the rise in recent months.
In mid-February, a Kenyan national was arrested trying to sneak Ksh238 million in foreign currency through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The Kenyan had been intercepted with the money after arriving in the country from Bujumbura, Burundi.
