The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested Kenith Mulowa on Saturday, 8 May 2021 in Mumbai for being in possession of four kilograms of heroin worth Rupees 24 crores. The accused was found to be former military with service in the Zambian Army. The accused had come to the city from Ethiopia, with the drug consignment earlier this week.
NCB officials have said that the accused had managed to slip away from law enforcement authorities as a result of his innovative modus operandi; The accused hid the drugs inside the anti-thermal cover of his luggage enabling him to avoid detection by the airport scanner.
The accused travelled via connecting flights from Ethiopia to Dubai, and then proceeded by a flight from Delhi to Mumbai. Upon arrival at Dubai the accused had intentionally left his luggage at the airport and proceeded to fly to Delhi. The accused eventually made it to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport following which he reported his bag as missing. He proceeded to in a Juhu hotel.
The NCB had been monitoring the supplier and finally, when the accused’s bag reached Mumbai from Dubai this week, an NCB officer went undercover as an Air India employee in order to entrap the international drug dealer. The accused was immediately arrested when he had come to collect his ‘missing luggage.’ The accused told the NCB that he had only retired from the Zambian Army a few months ago, after sustaining a combat injury during a military operation.
The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has highlighted that a kilogram of heroin is worth Rs six crores. “The prices of drugs have increased due to the pandemic,” claimed an official from the NCB. The investigation into the matter is currently underway.