A 21-year-old South African lady was detained for cocaine trafficking at Johannesburg’s busy OR Tambo International Airport only moments after arriving from Brazil.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) stated on Sunday that the lady was the eleventh drug mule caught at the busiest airport in two months.
The woman was apprehended in a joint operation by police and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs Unit.
According to SAPS national spokesman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, a cocaine mule was intercepted on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
“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.
