This archive report was first published on 26 July 2019.
On November 25, 2018, Simon Wambua Mbuvi, a 44-year-old Kenyan farm labourer, arrived in Guangzhou, China, on an Ethiopian flight. Unbeknownst to him, his trip was orchestrated by a network of drug kingpins.
According to court documents, Mbuvi had been approached by a woman named Breda, also known as Fridah, who offered him $2,050 (Sh211,150) to undertake an assignment. Breda had arranged the trip, paid visa fees, and linked Mbuvi to other individuals, but did not disclose the true nature of the assignment.
On the morning of November 24, Mbuvi set out for China through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. He traveled to Addis Ababa for a connecting flight and was given food and instructed to rest. He was then convinced to swallow 79 capsules using water and soda. Later, he was dropped off at the airport, where he boarded the flight to China, with instructions not to eat anything during the 12-hour journey.
As Mbuvi went through the immigration corridors, an X-ray scanner detected 'suspected granular items' in his stomach. Customs personnel handed the matter over to the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Customs Anti-Smuggling Sub-bureau in Guangdong. In two days, Mbuvi had discharged 79 capsules weighing 947.03 grammes.
Mbuvi, a first-time offender, attempted a spirited defence, claiming he did not know he had swallowed drugs. When this was dismissed, he stated that Fridah had forced him to swallow the drugs as part of the deal. However, the judges dismissed the defence and ruled that he had carried a substance 'extremely harmful to society.'
On July 26, 2019, the Chinese Intermediate People's Court of Guangzhou Municipality in Guangdong Province found Mbuvi guilty of trafficking drugs into Chinese territory and sentenced him to life in prison.
