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OR Tambo International now a hub for drug mules – expert

14 arrests over four months since August, including one arrested at the weekend, suggest a coordinated operation to move illicit substances, such as cocaine, through one of Africa’s busiest airports, OR Tambo International, said Institute for Security Studies (ISS) crime expert Willem Els.

“Drug trafficking is one of the most visible transnational organised crimes perpetrated by international organised criminal groups,” he said.

“The organised crime syndicates facilitating these activities are feeding off each other. If one syndicate moves in, others follow, creating a criminal environment.”

Brazil a common source of cocaine

Police spokesperson Amanda van Wyk said the 43-year-old female was arrested on arrival at the airport.

“The drug mule was taken to a local hospital where a medical X-ray revealed the presence of foreign objects in her stomach,” she said.

“A total of 33 drug bullets containing cocaine were subsequently released.”

The woman, who is a Paraguayan who landed from São Paulo, became the fourth drug trafficker intercepted at the airport in just two weeks.

Read the full story here: OR Tambo International now a hub for drug mules — expert

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