KQ cabin crew arrested for alleged drug possession

A Kenya Airways plane at the JKIA in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

What you need to know:

  • The unidentified suspects were arrested after failure to declare some items suspected to be drugs.
  • The latest incident at the national carrier comes hot on the heels of a similar one in recent weeks.
  • KQ says all members of its crew are trained on relevant regulations and laws and are expected to adhere to them at all times.

Police and customs officials have arrested two members of Kenya Airways' #ticker:KQ in-flight crew on suspicion of smuggling drugs out of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The unidentified suspects were arrested after failure to declare some items thought to be drugs, the airline said in a statement Thursday.

“The airline is …working in tandem with the relevant authorities to get to the bottom of the matter,” Kenya Airways said.

“Kenya Airways adheres to all regulations and laws of Kenya and the countries it operates in,” it added.

The latest incident comes hot on the heels of similar one in recent weeks when two flight attendants were arrested on suspicion of packaging narcotics in coffee sachets.

KQ, as the airline is popularly known by its international code, said in the statement that all members of its crew are trained on relevant regulations and laws and are expected to adhere to them at all times.

“Kenya Airways remains committed to the integrity of its operation and does not condone any illegal activities by its staff members,” it said.

Drug bust

In the incident last month, a multi-agency police team busted a drug trafficking ring at JKIA that also involved KQ staff.

Four kilograms of narcotics concealed as Kenyan coffee were found hidden within the crew restroom of a Kenya Airways plane (Flight KQ 870) destined for Hong Kong.

Police said then that they suspected the duo had been colluding with former colleagues of the airline to secretly smuggle drugs to China, Netherlands and India.

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