A 56-year-old was arrested by a joint police team led by the West Rand Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation, working with Interpol, Crime Intelligence and Gauteng's Provincial Border Policing.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has issued a warning that South Africa is not open to illicit business practices and any attempt to break the law will result in arrest, after a German man was apprehended at OR Tambo International Airport for attempting to traffic two women to Croatia recently.
Joachim Will, 56, was arrested by a joint police team led by the West Rand Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation, working with Interpol, Crime Intelligence and Gauteng's Provincial Border Policing.
He was intercepted while trying to board a flight to Croatia with the two Madagascan women, aged 32 and 29, ACSA said.
The women were allegedly recruited through a dating site and lured with a promise of employment.
They were found in possession of fraudulent Italian passports.
ACSA said Will appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Friday on charges of trafficking in persons and fraud and was remanded in custody until a formal bail application.
“ACSA would like to congratulate the various law enforcement agencies involved in making the arrests.
The apprehension was made possible because of the increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the security team at ACSA,” said Mzwandile Petros, Group Executive of Enterprise Security at ACSA.
ACSA issued a warning to all would-be traffickers that South Africa was not open to their illicit business practices.
“ACSA takes a zero-tolerance approach to any criminal activity at its airports. Human traffickers will be arrested and will face the full might of the law,” said Petros, adding that OR Tambo International Airport is a national key point.
Cape Times