A 28-year-old woman has been arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) after she was found concealing 294 grammes of cocaine in her private part during a multi-agency crackdown on narcotics trafficking.
According to a statement by the DCI on Friday, April 18, 2025, the arrest occurred at a roadblock along the Moyale-Nairobi route, where security personnel have intensified surveillance targeting drug couriers operating from Kenya’s Northern Frontier District into the capital.
The woman was travelling aboard a Nairobi-bound bus from Moyale when officers flagged it down for routine inspection.
Her uneasy behaviour immediately raised suspicion, prompting female officers to isolate her for a thorough physical search.
It was during this body search that officers discovered a carefully concealed package of cocaine hidden in her private parts, which has since been retrieved and secured as evidence.
“She exhibited signs of anxiety commonly observed in those attempting to evade detection,” a statement from the DCI read.
“This led our female officers to conduct a detailed search, which confirmed the presence of narcotics concealed in her body.”
The DCI added that the operation was part of an ongoing multi-agency campaign targeting drug networks that use remote entry points to transport narcotics into major urban centres.
Authorities believe that traffickers have increasingly turned to such routes in an attempt to evade traditional monitoring points.
The woman is currently being held at Moyale Police Station, as anti-narcotics officers take over the case for further investigation and prosecution.
The DCI has reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking syndicates, stating that no effort will be spared in protecting Kenyan communities from the threats posed by illegal narcotics.
“Criminals using unconventional means to ferry drugs must know that the law is catching up with them. We remain vigilant and ready to intercept wherever they operate,” the statement added.
The seized cocaine has since been submitted to forensic experts for analysis, as authorities continue with investigations to trace the larger network behind the trafficking operation.
Repeat cocaine busts
The woman’s arrest comes barely a year after a similar incident was reported along the same Moyale–Nairobi route, where another passenger was found ferrying cocaine aboard a long-distance bus.
On the morning of Friday, April 26, 2024, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) arrested a 24-year-old man, Charles Obaga Kavehere, who was caught with 417 grammes of cocaine hidden under the inner soles of his rubber shoes.
In a statement released at the time, the DCI revealed that anti-narcotics detectives, acting on intelligence and supported by the Operations Support Unit, intercepted the bus operated by Score Investment Ltd at the Blue Post section of Thika. A search of the vehicle and its passengers led to the arrest of Kavehere.
“A drug trafficker was ejected from a Nairobi-bound bus from Moyale this morning, and 417 grams of cocaine were discovered hidden under the inner soles of his rubber shoes,” the DCI announced.
Following the initial discovery, the man was taken to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for a more thorough examination, where further narcotics were discovered inside his body. Detectives confirmed that he had swallowed additional cocaine, which he intended to excrete upon reaching his destination.
“Besides the 417 grams estimated at KSh1.8 million, he had swallowed more drugs intended to be egested at his destination,” the statement read.