Cocaine worth R50m seized at OR Tambo International
The continuous state of alertness by the authorities at the OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) has led to the discovery of a cocaine consignment weighing 143 kilograms with an estimated value R50 million. This is one of the largest drug recoveries by the authorities in our ports of entry.
During a normal routine search on Friday morning, members of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) anti-smuggling unit based at the cargo section of the ORTIA found the drugs hidden in 147 hair product bottles. This cocaine consignment arrived from Brazil and information displayed on the cargo indicated that it was in transit to Cotonou, Benin in West Africa.
The SAPS is already hard at work trying to establish if the consignment was indeed on the way to the said destination and again to find out who the intended recipient is. The drugs were immediately transported to the SAPS forensic laboratory in Pretoria.
Upon hearing about this bust, the National Commissioner of the Police, General Riah Phiyega, said: “The continuous discovery of drugs by both the SAPS and the customs officials gives us a comfortable feeling that our ports of entry are manned by committed people, who understand the mission and mandate. Although we would have loved to arrest someone in connection with this recovery, we take comfort in the knowledge that this huge stash did not find its way into any community in the country, where lives could have been ruined.”
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