A 35-year-old Kenyan woman, Mary Njeri, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, on April 15 for attempting to smuggle a consignment of cocaine valued at approximately $360,000.
According to a statement from the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Njeri was apprehended after a routine check upon disembarking from a South African Airways flight originating from Nairobi, with a layover in Johannesburg. A search of her luggage revealed packets of Cremora food concealing the illicit drugs. During initial questioning, Njeri admitted to possession of the consignment in her luggage, leading to her arrest for further investigation.
NACOC has sent the confiscated substances to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for analysis, while Njeri remains in custody pending additional investigation and prosecution. The commission took this opportunity to remind the public that possession and transportation of illicit drugs without lawful authority is a crime punishable under sections 40 (1) and 41 (1) of Act 1019 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020.
In a separate incident last week, another Kenyan woman was arrested by Hong Kong authorities for smuggling approximately 1 kg of a narcotic substance, believed to be cocaine, into the city. The 35-year-old suspect, who had arrived in Hong Kong from Nairobi via Addis Ababa, was detained at Hong Kong International Airport after exhibiting suspicious behavior.
Selected for inspection by customs officials, the woman was taken to a local hospital for examination, where she allegedly excreted 67 pellets of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of $135,000. Hong Kong’s Customs and Excise Department announced in a statement that the suspect was charged on April 11 with one count of trafficking a dangerous drug into the city. If convicted, she could face a fine of up to $765,000 (HK$5 million) and life imprisonment.