How woman arrested with cocaine hidden in underwear at JKIA led detectives to 4 other suspects

Anti-narcotics detectives have arrested five suspects believed to be part of a larger cocaine-smuggling ring after intercepting a woman with 57 pellets of cocaine at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Tuesday.

The primary suspect, 32-year-old Apoko Damaris Adhiambo, had concealed the pellets in her underwear when she was flagged down at JKIA's terminal A1 central screening area just before boarding a Madagascar-bound plane.

"A body scanner at the checkpoint revealed suspicious items concealed around her privates, triggering a quick search that saw 600g of the highly addictive cocaine discovered. A spot test conducted on the discovery was positive for the coca product," the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.

Upon interrogation, the suspect revealed to have been recruited into the cocaine smuggling syndicate by one Harriet Asaba, a woman living in Nairobi.

Using forensic technologies, detectives tracked Asaba to Accra Road in Nairobi and apprehended her.

Asaba was similarly interrogated, revealing the location of three more of her associates who were also apprehended.

They are; Ugandan national Nangozi Shirah and 24-year-olds Esther Wanjiru and Sophia Kathambi.

"In the painstaking pursuit to break the entire syndicate, the second suspect led officers to Free Area Hotel building and into the VIP Beauty Shop, where a meticulous search was conducted and another 33 pellets of crack found," said the DCI.

"Prosecution processes have been instigated on the arrested suspects."

DCI detectives are currently liaising with their Interpol counterparts to determine the recipients of the drugs in Antananarivo, Madagascar.