A 21-year-old South African woman has been arrested at the busy OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for drug trafficking, moments after she arrived from Brazil.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) on Sunday said the woman became the eleventh drug mule to be arrested at the busy airport in a period of two months.
The woman was arrested in a joint operation by the police and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs unit.
SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the drug mule was profiled and intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil on Sunday morning, at around 9am.
“She was taken to a local hospital where an X-ray confirmed that she was having foreign objects in her stomach. She has already released a number of bullets from her body and is in police custody where police are closely monitoring the release of further drug bullets,” said Mathe.
She said the process of releasing more packets of the drugs from the woman’s body is still under way.
Meanwhile, national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has commended the vigilance of members of SA Revenue Service and police 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,” said Masemola.
“Drug traffickers are feeling the heat and there is nowhere to hide.”
The SAPS said every week in the last month, officials including Border Management Authority at the OR Tambo International Airport have been intercepting drug traffickers.
IOL reported last week that a 30-year-old Namibian woman arrested by Gauteng police at OR Tambo International Airport after a tip off, appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Police said an X-ray confirmed the suspect had ingested drug bullets before landing in South Africa.
On September 13, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested after he was found in possession of cocaine that was concealed in aircraft head phones. He too had just landed in South Africa from São Paulo, Brazil.
IOL