A Namibian drug mule is set to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, on a charge of dealing in drugs and drug possession.
The drug mule, 30, has released 68 drug bullets from her body.
Police said the estimated weight of the drugs is 850g and additional charges may be added at a later stage.
On Monday, a second medical examination/X-ray confirmed that all drugs had been removed from the Namibian drug mule’s body.
She was moved to a detention facility.
The Namibian national was nabbed at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday. This is the 10th drug mule to be arrested at that airport in the past two months.
SAPS, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) custom, and immigration officials were following up on intelligence from the SAPS of a drug mule that would land from Sao Paulo, Brazil at about 7.25am.
The team immediately intercepted the drug mule as she was making her way through immigration.
She was immediately arrested, taken to a local hospital where a medical X-ray confirmed and detected foreign objects in her stomach. The process to release the suspected drugs from her body, continued until late Sunday evening.
She first released more than 60 bullets of suspected cocaine. She was under police guard.
The value of the drugs was not released as investigation is ongoing.
The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, applauded the vigilance of the multi-disciplinary team working tirelessly to clamp down on criminality at OR Tambo International Airport.
“Our men and women in blue are hard at work intercepting hardened criminals. South Africa is not a playground for criminals and transnational organised crime. We are squeezing the space for criminals and leaving nothing to chance,” Masemola said.
Meanwhile, through its high-density operations commonly known as Operation Shanela, the SAPS arrested 11 935 suspects from the period starting September 16 to September 22.
The police are relentless in its efforts to deal decisively with crime in the country through detectives and crime intelligence tracing operations, roadblocks as well as stop and searches.
This week the following arrests were made: a total of 1 985 wanted suspects were nabbed for crimes that included, among others; murder, attempted murder, rape, possession of illegal firearms, business and house robberies. About 144 suspects were arrested for murder of which 35 of these murder suspects were arrested in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
A total of 125 suspects were arrested for attempted murder, about 183 suspects were arrested for rape, 57 of them were arrested in Gauteng province. A total of 123 suspects were arrested for being in the illegal possession of firearms, 39 of these suspects were arrested in the Western Cape. A total of 1 513 suspects were arrested for assault GBH (grievous bodily harm), while 480 suspects were arrested for the illegal dealing in liquor, 174 of these arrests were made in Mpumalanga while 125 were made in KZN.
A total of 217 drug dealers were also arrested during this period, about 348 were arrested for drunk and driving, 100 were arrested in Western Cape and 69 were arrested in Gauteng. A total of 784 suspects were arrested for being in possession of drugs, 135 of these arrests were made in the Eastern Cape
When it came to under recoveries and confiscations, police registered successes including 115 firearms being confiscated during operations, 26 of these were seized during police operations in Western Cape, while KZN confiscated 22, a total of 1 107 rounds of ammunition were confiscated, about 44 hijacked and stolen vehicles were also recovered during this week’s operations.
Police said highlights of major take-downs and other successes include the arrest of the Namibian drug mule. A week ago, police also arrested a Nigerian drug mule at this same airport.
Police said through the collaboration between UK authorities, Interpol, SAPS and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI – Hawks), former Eskom contractor, Michael Lomas, was successfully extradited back to South Africa to face multiple charges of fraud and corruption.
Lomas is expected to appear before the Palm Ridge Court on September 26 for the formal bail application.
Police said Operation Vala Umgodi continues to record significant successes since its activation in December. A total of 100 illegal miners were arrested of which 58 of them were busted in Mpumalanga.
Police destroyed a man-made bridge over the Limpopo River near the Beitbridge Border post to prevent and combat illicit mining activities as well as the illegal entering of undocumented foreign nationals and illicit goods into the country.
The SAPS Search and Rescue teams were deployed to assist travellers who were stranded on the N3 toll route due to the heavy snowfall and road closures over large parts of KZN over the weekend. Police said these teams played a significant role in ensuring travellers are brought to safety.
“Police will continue with their operations by asserting the authority of the state to ensure the safety and security of all South Africans and visitors to the country,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk.
The Star
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