The Uganda Revenue Authority’s (URA) customs officers in collaboration with the Anti-Narcotic Police Unit and the Special Forces Command (SFC) have intercepted a large quantity of cocaine being smuggled into the country.
The burst took place at Entebbe International Airport in the wee hours of January 2, 2025.
In statement issued today by URA via their official X handle formerly twitter, the suspect, a man believed to be Nigerian by descent, arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha at approximately 00:10 hours.
During routine baggage screening, officers noticed suspicious images on the scanner.
“Further inspection of the scanner images showed one passenger’s bag with tins that seemed to hold something unusual. After a thorough physical check by the Aviation Police Narcotics Team, the contents were confirmed to be carefully concealed cocaine,” the statement reads.
The suspect was immediately arrested and taken into police custody and is currently being held at the Airport Police Station.
According to the statement, the seizure was aided by intelligence information provided to the customs officers by the Uganda Police Narcotics Team, which helped flag the suspect as a potential drug trafficker.
The authorities are now working to establish more details about the origins of the narcotics and any connections to organized crime.
URA indicates that the seized cocaine is classified as prohibited items under both international law and Uganda’s national legislation, including sections 4(1) and 2(9) of the Narcotic Drugs and psychotropic substances (Control) Act of 2016; The 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances also outlaws such activities globally.
In March 2023, authorities seized 9.8 kilograms of cocaine worth about shs4 billion, linked to another Nigerian national.
Later in the same year, the Kampala Metropolitan Police destroyed over 56 kilograms, worth sh3bn of narcotics confiscated from travelers at the airport, between 2020 and 2023.
URA says narcotics trafficking remains a serious crime with severe legal consequences, and authorities continue to intensify their efforts to prevent drug smuggling into Uganda.
