Pretoria - A 29-year-old man is scheduled to make his first appearance before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday, after he was caught red-handed with drugs worth R2.15 million.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the 29-year-old was arrested at the busy OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park on Sunday.
“It is alleged that the suspect was travelling from Brazil to Johannesburg in South Africa and on arrival, he was escorted to Customs for processing after he had been refused entrance into the country by the Department of Home Affairs,” said Nkwalase.
“His bag was searched by Customs officers and they found cocaine soaked and dried into the traveller’s rug weighing 8.6kg, worth approximately R2.15 million.”
The traveller was immediately apprehended by a multidisciplinary team which included officers from crime intelligence, State Security, SARS detector dog unit, Department of Home Affairs, and the Hawks.
Nkwalase said the drugs were seized for further investigation.
Last year, a 23-year-old woman was arrested in October after she arrived in South Africa, from Brazil, carrying cocaine with an estimated value of about R1.4 million.
At the time, police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the woman was arrested when she landed at OR Tambo International Airport.
“Police officers attached to the monitoring and interception section of the Gauteng crime intelligence (unit) have arrested a 23-year-old foreign woman who allegedly attempted to smuggle drugs into the country,” said Netshiunda.
“Intelligence information was gathered about the suspect, who boarded a flight from Brazil to South Africa via Doha. During the search police found 3.6kg of cocaine with an estimated value of R1.4 million.”
IOL