This archive report was first published on 7 October 2019.
India's New Delhi police have arrested a 36-year-old Kenyan woman, Mariam Mweke, on allegations of running an international drugs trafficking ring and evading trial.
According to reports, Ms Mweke had been living in India illegally since her visa expired in 2016. She was arrested last week at her hideout in Nalasopara, Mumbai, after a seven-month hunt that included placing a Sh73,000 bounty on her head.
Ms Mweke's run-ins with the Indian authorities began in 2016 when she was arrested alongside two associates with over 7.5 kilos of heroin. After completing investigations, a charge sheet was filed against the three, and Ms Mweke was granted bail in January this year.
However, she jumped bail and evaded the trial proceedings, prompting a search and the placement of a bounty on her head. In June last year, the authorities confiscated another of her consignments, re-igniting their search for her.
After her arrest, Ms Mweke revealed that she had shifted her base from Maharashtra to Nalasopara, where she reorganised and continued with the illegal business. She allegedly told authorities that her associates used to procure heroin from Afghan nationals in Delhi for further supply in various parts of the country.
Ms Mweke is said to have been introduced to the trade by another Kenyan, Mr Obum Favor, and began working as a trafficker between Delhi and Punjab. With time, she developed her own contacts and started her own syndicate.
Ms Mweke is married and has a family in Nairobi.
