Police at the OR Tambo International Airport have arrested another Brazilian drug trafficker from São Paulo on Tuesday afternoon.
Last week, another 44-year-old Brazilian woman was apprehended at the same venue after being caught with cocaine worth R1.9 million wrapped around her upper body.
The man is the third Brazilian suspect to be arrested with drugs in the past two weeks.
The 21-year-old man was intercepted after landing in South Africa from Brazil at 12:20. The man’s arrest comes after the SAPS Crime Intelligence had been on his trail.
SAPS national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the drug mule was taken to a local hospital after foreign objects were identified in his stomach.
“The drug mule was taken to a local hospital, where a medical x-ray confirmed the presence of foreign objects in his stomach. The process to release these foreign objects has started and the SAPS can confirm that plastic-covered cocaine ‘bullets’ are being released by the suspect,” said Mathe.
The man will appear before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court before the end of the week on a charge of drug possession and trafficking.
“SAPS Safer Festive Season Operations are in full swing across the country, and criminals in every corner are feeling the heat. Police at OR Tambo International Airport remain vigilant as police countrywide intensify their safer festive operations,” she said.
The Star
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