A Kenyan was arrested at Goa International Airport with cocaine worth Ksh83 million(Rs 5 crore) while supplying it to a Nigerian Man in India.
Confirming the incident, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director for Mumbai, Amit Ghawate, stated that the Kenyan was intercepted by customs officials at Goa International Airport on May 3, at night.
According to the director, the officers suspected that the man was hiding a non-metallic object seen when screening his luggage.
The officers proceeded to conduct a search of his luggage and found two packets of cocaine weighing one kilogram hidden at the bottom of his bag.
“The man travelled to India from Johannesburg (SA) via Dubai and the information was immediately passed by the Customs officials to the NCB, Goa.
“Subsequently, a team of NCB, Goa reached Dabolim airport and conducted a thorough search of the man and his luggage,” Ghawate stated.
Upon conducting further investigation on the matter, NCB officers at Goa and NCB unit at Delhi learnt that the drugs were to be delivered to a Nigerian man.
The two units coordinated and arrested the Nigerian man on May 5 for further questioning.
“After continued intensive analysis and field surveillance for the last 24 hours, the main kingpin and receiver of the seized 1.009 kilograms of cocaine at Goa airport.
"The Nigerian national was apprehended on May 5, 2023, by the NCB team at Delhi," Ghawate explained.
The director noted that investigations were in progress.
Kenya has strict and punitive laws provided under the Drugs Narcotics and Psychotropic Substance that was enacted in 1961 to control the possession and trafficking of Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic substances.
Further, the Act provides for penalties ranging from 20 years in prison to life imprisonment or fines of twenty million Kenya shillings.
