Every week in the last month, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has arrested at least one drug mule at OR Tambo International Airport, with the 14th drug mule to be arrested in recent weeks nabbed on Sunday.
“Every week in the last month, SAPS has arrested at least one drug mule at OR Tambo International Airport. This week alone, police arrested three drug mules, including two Dutch traffickers, who were found with 80 kg of Khat. Today’s (Sunday’s) arrest is the 14th drug mule to be arrested in recent weeks,” the police said in a statement released at the weekend.
In Sunday’s arrest, the SAPS in collaboration with officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS), arrested a 43-year-old drug mule from Paraguay who had landed from São Paulo.
“A medical examination confirmed that he had swallowed multiple foreign objects and has so far released more than 20 bullets suspected to contain cocaine. This brings the total number of drug mules arrested at this airport in the last couple of weeks to fourteen,” said the SAPS.
Last month, a 21-year-old South African woman became the eleventh person arrested for drug trafficking at the OR Tambo International (ORTIA) Airport.
At the time, the police said she was intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil.
She was taken to a local hospital where an X-ray confirmed that she had foreign objects in her stomach.
In that arrest, the National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, commended the vigilance of members of SARS and SAPS at the airport.
On Sunday, 22 September 2024, a 30-year-old Namibian drug mule was arrested after arriving from São Paulo.
On Friday, 13 September 2024, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested after he was found in possession of cocaine that was concealed in aircraft head phones. He had just landed from São Paulo.
On the morning of 07 October, Deputy National Commissioner responsible for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, confirmed that the drug mule arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday has been rushed to hospital following a health complication. He has so far released about 117 drug bullets suspected to be cocaine.
