Malawian nabbed in Ethiopia over Cocaine plot bound for Malaysia

A 47-year-old Malawian man is behind bars in Ethiopia, accused of trying to smuggle cocaine from Malawi to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, hidden inside portraits.

Allan Gondwe was arrested by Ethiopian security officials at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa on October 20, 2026, on his way to Southeast Asia, according to a diplomatic report by Malawi’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Khwauli Msiska.

The ambassador’s report, dated October 28, 2026, says the cocaine was concealed in portraits belonging to Gondwe.

He is facing drug smuggling charges under criminal code number 414/2004 of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Msiska says Gondwe flew on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 876 from Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, travelling on a Malawian passport.

Gondwe is currently being held at the Mexico-Kera Road Federal Police Station and is expected to appear in court tomorrow.

Malawi Embassy counsellor Dickson Chivwati Gondwe said Ethiopian rules restrict access to detainees, but embassy staff managed to visit him.

Gondwe’s brother, Gift, reported to the embassy that he had gone missing soon after his arrest.

In a separate case, the family of Anne Muhammad, also arrested in Ethiopia after cocaine was found in her possession, has appealed to the government to let her serve her sentence in Malawi.

She was arrested at Bole airport en route to Qatar and sentenced to five years in 2023.

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