A 30-year-old woman who is a Namibian national was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park after she landed with suspected cocaine in her body.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the suspected drug mule arrested on Sunday is the tenth drug mule to be arrested at the busy Gauteng airport in the past two months.
National police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said SAPS, the SA Revenue Service customs and immigration officials were following up on intelligence from SAPS of a drug mule that would land from Sao Paulo at around 7am.
“The team immediately intercepted the drug mule as she was making her way through immigration. She was immediately arrested, taken to a local hospital where a medical X-ray confirmed and detected foreign objects in her stomach,” said Mathe.
On Sunday evening, Mathe said the process to release the suspected drugs from her body was under way.
“She has already released more than 60 bullets of suspected cocaine thus far. She is currently under police guard and custody,” said Mathe.
“The value of the drugs cannot be determined at this stage as the process to release all suspected drugs from the suspects body may take some time,” she said.
Meanwhile, national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has applauded the vigilance of the multi-disciplinary team working tirelessly to clampdown on criminality at the OR Tambo International Airport.
“Our men and women in blue are hard at work intercepting hardened criminals. South Africa is not a playground for criminals and transnational organised crime. We are squeezing the space for criminals and leaving nothing to chance,” said Masemola.
Last month, IOL reported that a South African woman who is an alleged drug mule who recently departed from South Africa heading to Brazil under the guise of shopping for her “upcoming wedding” landed in hot water after she was apprehended at the OR Tambo International Airport.
“The Germiston-based Hawks' serious organised crime investigation team pounced on the unsuspecting 33-year-old traveller at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday (August 27) morning,” according to Captain Lloyd Ramovha, Gauteng provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
“A search to her luggage revealed the consignment of narcotics, which was established to be 10 kilogrammes of cocaine.”
The law enforcement team, in the company of customs officials and dogs further scanned the surroundings for possible aides and accomplices.
Two suspects were identified and monitored at the international arrivals hall of the airport.
“They were approached and brought in for questioning at the police station. They stated that they were waiting for a traveller from elsewhere, but they could not provide proof thereof,” said Ramovha.
“It was eventually established that they were actually waiting for the arrested drug mule originating from Motherwell in Port Elizabeth,” he said.
The two accomplices are both Nigerian nationals aged 37 and 52, respectively.
IOL