Cocaine worth more than R1 million was seized at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday after security personnel and police apprehended a 21-year-old Bolivian woman on suspicion of drug smuggling.
In a statement from the South African Police Service (SAPS), Colonel Brenda Muridili said the suspect had arrived on a flight from Sao Paolo where she was intercepted by SAPS members who subsequently found the contraband in her hand luggage.
“She was stopped by members of the South African Revenue Service’s Customs and Excise for a routine stop and search. Her hand luggage was searched and the drugs were discovered,” said Muridili.
The smuggling of cocaine between South America and South Africa has become a lucrative enterprise for drug cartels, exploiting impoverished and poverty stricken communities to transport the illegal substances across borders.
According to Muridili the police have taken a multi-faceted approach to combating cross-border crime, particularly drug smuggling.
“This interdepartmental co-operation with Airports Company of South Africa and other stakeholders overseen by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS), is in place to root out criminals and criminality at OR Tambo,” said Muridili.
Despite the industrial action taken by a large contingency of South African Airways (SAA) staff last week, security at airports remained tight. – Bjorn Vorster
