A 21-year-old South African woman has been arrested for drug trafficking at the OR Tambo International (ORTIA) Airport.

This is the 11th drug mule to be arrested at the airport in a period of two months.

‘The drug mule was profiled and intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday morning, just before 9am. She was taken to a local hospital where an X-ray confirmed that she had foreign objects in her stomach,’ said the police in a statement.

The woman has already released a number of bullets from her body and is in police custody where they are closely monitoring the release of further drug bullets. The process is still unfolding, said SAPS.

National Commissioner of the Police, General Fannie Masemola, commended the vigilance of members of SARS and SAPS at the airport.

‘Our men and women in blue working closely with SARS customs and various stakeholders continue to assert the authority of the state at all our ports of entry.

‘We appreciate the hard work and dedication of
our members and urge them to do more to squeeze the space for criminals. Drug traffickers are feeling the heat and there is nowhere to hide,’ said Masemola.

Every week in the last month, SAPS and SARS customs, immigration and the Border Management Authority (BMA) have been intercepting drug traffickers at OR Tambo International Airport.

On Sunday, 22 September 2024, a 30-year-old Namibian drug mule was arrested after arriving from São Paulo.

She too was taken for medical examination and released more than 60 drug bullets. She has already appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs.

On Friday, 13 September 2024, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested after he was found in possession of cocaine that was concealed in aircraft head phones. He had just landed from São Paulo.

He has already appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs.

Source: South African Government News Agency