Suspected Kenyan drug trafficker who jumped bail in India arrested
A 36-year-old Kenyan woman who has been on the run has been arrested in Delhi, India in connection with drug trafficking.
Prior to the arrest, the police in Mumbai had placed a bounty equivalent to Sh70,000 on the head of Mariam Mweke after she jumped bailed.
According to The Times of India, the suspect has been on the run in a case involving the seizure of 7.5 kg of heroin from three drug traffickers of African origin.
The police say 2.5kg of the seized drugs belonged to Mweke.
On November 1, 2018 a charge sheet was filed in court against the three and Mweke was later granted a bail by the court on January 7, 2019.
She is said to have jumped bail 10 months ago and moved to Mumbai and started her business again with the help of an associate.
The mother of two was arrested alongside her associates Ekene and Martin on June 25 in connection with the incident.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police PS Kushwah, who spoke to The Times of India, police were sent to Mumbai after they traced her to a densely populated area of Naginpada in Palghar district.
DRUG SYNDICATE
During interrogation, Mweke is said to have told the police that she moved to Mumbai about two months back where she was involved in drug smuggling by taking consignments from Delhi-based African-origin drug traffickers.
Mweke has been living in India since 2016 when she arrived on a tourist visa which was valid for three months but she overstayed her visit.
The police says she survived on odd jobs through the help of Africans in Delhi.
According to Kushwah, Mweke later came into contact with a Kenyan national, Obum Favor, who was involved in heroin smuggling.
Obum then employed her to work for him as carrier to smuggle heroin from Delhi to Punjab. She later developed her own drug syndicate and started smuggling heroin in Delhi NCR, Haryana, Mumbai and Punjab on her own.