Security agents at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Tuesday intercepted 23 kilograms of heroin valued at Sh40 million that was destined for Netherlands.
One suspect working at the airport is under interrogation over the seizure, police said.
The cargo was concealed in a package labeled Kericho Gold Tea when it was intercepted at the KLM Airside on Tuesday.
Officials said the narcotics were packaged and were to be sent as a cargo to Amsterdam.
Head of police’s Anti-Narcotics Unit Hamis Massa said they are investigating to establish the origin of the narcotics.
Other officials at JKIA credited the burst to a fall out among members of the drug cartel who were poised to traffic the cache on Monday night before one of them failed to load the narcotics on the intended flight.
“We believe the drugs were packaged in Nairobi and efforts to get more suspects are ongoing,” said an official aware of the probe.
Police say the plan involved staff at the airport and efforts to get all those behind it were ongoing.
Last October a number of staff at JKIA were arrested in connection to drug trafficking.
They included two Kenya Airways cabin crew after they were found carrying substance suspected to be narcotics while headed for China.
The plane was headed for Guanzohou, China from JKIA when officials noticed the luggage the cabin crew was carrying was heavier than usual.
Police said the men were carrying the substance in 21 bags of Dormans coffee weighing 500 grammes.
“The bags were weighing more than indicated on the paper which forced the security to check where they found a polythene with brownish substance that we suspect to be heroin,” said an officer aware of the probe.
