Police at OR Tambo International Airport apprehended a 26-year-old suspect from Brazil with cocaine valued at R8.7 million.
Image: SAPS
An allegedly Brazilian drug trafficker was arrested by police at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after being found with cocaine with an estimated street value of R8.7 million.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the 26-year-old transgender suspect was apprehended upon arrival on Sunday afternoon from Brazil after police, acting on intelligence, conducted a search of the suspect’s luggage.
During the search, members discovered multiple blocks of cocaine wrapped and concealed inside the traveller's luggage.
Mathe said the arrest forms part of ongoing intelligence-driven operations targeting transnational drug trafficking networks operating through South Africa’s largest port of entry.
The 26-year-old transgender suspect is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Image: SAPS
The arrest comes after a 33-year-old woman from Kempton Park was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday.
The police said the Hawks' Vaal Rand Serious Organised Crime Unit investigators in conjunction with Border Police and the Local Criminal Record Centre members acted on information received and found the suspect in possession of 1.5kg of cocaine and crystal methamphetamine.
The drugs found in possession of the suspect had an estimated street value of R1.5 million, the police statement said.
The police have made a number of arrests at OR Tambo in recent months.
“Police at OR Tambo International Airport have in recent months recorded several successes in intercepting drug traffickers attempting to smuggle narcotics. The interception of drug traffickers has gone a long way in disrupting the supply of illicit drugs and strengthening the fight against organised crime,” Mathe said.
The suspects are expected to appear in court this week.
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