Two large drug busts at the Johannesburg International airport in the past two days have kept cocaine worth an estimated value of R64-million off the streets.
South African Revenue Service (Sars) customs officials intercepted a shipment of 20kg of cocaine on Wednesday morning.
”The large quantity demonstrates the threat syndicated crime and the smuggling of illicit items, including narcotics, pose to South Africa and its communities,” said Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay.
SARS found the narcotics concealed in the wooden handles of women’s handbags as part of cargo freight on a South African Airways flight from Sao Paulo airport in Brazil to Johannesburg. Lackay said the flight landed shortly after 6am.
”Customs officials risk-profiled the shipment and physically searched the contents. Inspections found that the narcotics were concealed in the wooden handles of female handbags.”
The drugs were believed to have a street value of more than R9-million.
No arrests had been made.
The bust followed police’s seizure at the airport on Tuesday morning of cocaine worth an estimated street value of R55-million.
Lackay said the incidents were not necessarily linked.
Police arrested a 34-year-old Nigerian man at his home in Randburg on Tuesday night in connection with their bust, Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said.
”The drugs arrived here yesterday [Tuesday] morning at 9am.”
He said ”hundreds of thousands of rands in cash was also seized” from the man’s home. Police were not expecting to make further arrests.
The drugs were imported from South America about a week ago.
In the past seven months, drugs worth an estimated value of R130-million have been seized at Johannesburg International airport, Naidoo said.
Lackay said the smuggling highlighted the importance for Sars to improve customs operations’ border- and trade-control capabilities.
”Sars investigators, together with the police, will investigate the matter further,” said Lackay. — Sapa