A 43-year-old Kenyan woman, Emily Kanini Rodha, has been arrested in India for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine valued at approximately $2.1 million (about Sh270 million).
According to Indian customs officials, Rodha was apprehended at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday, shortly after arriving from Nairobi via Doha, Qatar.
Authorities say she appeared visibly nervous during customs clearance, which prompted a thorough inspection of her luggage.
“Upon checking her trolley bag, officials noted it felt unusually heavy even after removing the clothes and shoes it contained,” read a statement from the airport’s customs department.
Further examination revealed synthetic material affixed to the base of the bag. Hidden beneath it were multiple transparent plastic packets filled with a white powdery substance, which later tested positive for cocaine. Authorities confirmed that 1.789 kilograms of the drug were recovered.
Investigations revealed that Rodha received the suitcase in Nairobi from a woman identified only as Millicent. Rodha admitted she knew the bag contained drugs and had been promised a payment of Sh100,000 upon successful delivery in New Delhi.
“She confessed that she accepted the job due to financial difficulties and that Millicent had also covered her travel and accommodation expenses in Mumbai,” the customs statement added.
Officials suspect Rodha is part of a larger international drug trafficking syndicate operating between Africa and South Asia.
“We believe this case is linked to a wider network, and investigations are ongoing to identify other accomplices involved,” customs officers stated.
India has strict laws against drug trafficking, with penalties ranging from short jail terms and fines for minor possession to more than 20 years imprisonment for trafficking commercial quantities. These offences are non-bailable and cannot be reduced or commuted.
Rodha’s arrest follows a similar case in March involving another Kenyan national, Margaret Nduta, 37, who was sentenced to death in Vietnam for smuggling over 2.3 kilograms of cocaine through Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport in July 2023.
Vietnamese authorities said Nduta had been recruited by a man known as John, who allegedly paid her $1,300 to deliver a suitcase to Laos. The drugs were found hidden in her luggage, with an estimated street value of Sh27 million.
Both incidents have sparked growing concern over the involvement of Kenyan nationals in global drug trafficking networks.
