Ugandan woman arrested in India with Shs2b drugs
In the last one-and-half years, Indian customs officials have recovered drugs worth more than Shs93b from Ugandan traffickers at their airports.
What you need to know:
- Indian customs department statistics at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Chennai Airport, and Coimbatore International Airport show that majority of Ugandans arrested carrying narcotic drugs are women and the method used in trafficking drugs is swallowing them in pellets (capsules).
A Ugandan woman has been arrested at an Indian Airport after she allegedly trafficked narcotic drugs worth Shs2.3b.
According to Chennia Airport Customs, the unnamed female Ugandan passenger was arrested at Chennia Airport upon arrival from Ethiopia on December 18.
“Customs intercepted a female Ugandan passenger who arrived from Addis Ababa (Ethiopian capital city). Sniffer Dog Orio detected drugs in her checked-in baggage, which resulted in the recovery of 1542gm methaqualone & 644gm heroin valued at 5.35crore (Shs2.3b),” Chennia Customs officials said on their social media platforms.
However, sources say the suspect travelled from Uganda and flew out of the country through Entebbe International Airport.
The passenger is the first Ugandan to be arrested in drug-related trafficking cases in six months in India after a tough crackdown on the vice.
The number of Ugandans, especially women, arrested on allegations of possession of narcotic drugs while entering India is increasing.
More than 18 Ugandans have been arrested at three airports in India for trafficking narcotic drugs this year.
Indian customs department statistics at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Chennai Airport, and Coimbatore International Airport show that majority of Ugandans arrested carrying narcotic drugs are women and the method used in trafficking drugs is swallowing them in pellets (capsules).
According to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, of India, a person convicted for importing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is liable to imprisonment for a term not below 10 years “but which may extend to 20 years, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees ($1,284), but which may extend to two lakh rupees (S$2,568).”
The fines are even lower than what Ugandan courts slap on convicted drug traffickers.
The number of cases of trafficking to India, especially among Ugandans, started increasing in 2019.
In the last one-and-half years, Indian customs officials have recovered drugs worth more than Shs93b from Ugandan traffickers at their airports.
The biggest seizure of narcotic drugs involving a Ugandan was on November 13, 2021, when Indian authorities recovered 12.9kgs of heroin being trafficked by a woman.
