A 21-year-old South African woman has been arrested for drug trafficking, marking this the 11th drug mule to be arrested at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) in a period of two months.
It is revealed that every week in the last month, SAPS and South African Revenue Services (Sars) customs, immigration and the Border Management Authority (BMA) at ORTIA have been intercepting drug traffickers.
A drug mule was arrested in South Africa after being profiled and intercepted at the airport by the SAPS and Sars Customs, following a joint operation.
It is reported that she arrived 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.
It is reported that 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.
General Fannie Masemola, the national commissioner of SAPS, has commended the vigilance of Sars and SAPS members at the airport as the process continues.
“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.
In the same cases of drug trafficking, on September 22, a 30-year-old Namibian drug mule was also 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 September 13, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested after he was found in possession of cocaine that was concealed in aircraft headphones. He too had just landed from São Paulo. He has already appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of dealing in drugs.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za