A Pretoria woman was arrested at Cape Town International airport after allegedly admitting to having swallowed cocaine ”bullets” worth an estimated R1,9-million.
The 34-year-old woman had stepped off a flight from Buenos Aires on Monday morning and was asked to fill in a declaration form at customs, South African Revenue Service spokesperson Adrian Lackay said in a statement.
”She appeared extremely nervous. During a subsequent interview with customs officials and police, she allegedly admitted to swallowing 80 bullets of cocaine,” he said.
The consignment is one of the largest found on one individual at the airport and is the ninth such arrest at the airport over the past few months.
By noon on Monday, X-rays taken at Cape Town hospital had confirmed that about 80 bullets of cocaine were in her stomach.
She will remain under police guard at the hospital until all of the cocaine has been removed.
She is likely to be charged with smuggling and will appear in court after her release from hospital, Lackay said. — Sapa