Drugs worth R7mn confiscated at OR Tambo, ‘seven arrested in six weeks’, police say

Police say they have confiscated drugs over R7 million at the OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) and have arrested seven people in six weeks.

Police say the 55-year-old man who was arrested at the airport on Friday, is the seventh in six weeks caught for dealing in drugs.

“Over R7 million of heroin and cocaine has been confiscated in the same period,” police spokesperson, Colonel Brenda Muridili said.

Muridili said in the latest incident, the police stopped and searched a 55-year-old man travelling with a Hungarian passport on his way to check-in when they discovered heroin worth more than three millions of rands.

“He had booked a flight departing to Lisbon via Doha. He was detained and charged with dealing in drugs. He will be appearing in the Kempton Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” he said.

Muridili said the arrest “supplements last month’s recovery of cocaine worth more than R4 million that saw six people arrested for possession and dealing in drugs in separate incidents”.

“The six accused have already appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court and they have all been remanded in custody. The investigators in those cases have successfully opposed bail for Yolanda Oropeza Chiri, Pereira Da Silva, Elaine Vanessa De Oliveira Niyama, and Joel Eduardo Yanez Padron who were arrested on arrival at ORTIA while Belmira Caetano Panzambilo was arrested before departing to Mauritius.

“The ORTIA multi-disciplinary task team will continue to thwart efforts of criminals to utilize this port of entry as a platform for trafficking drugs, contraband and illicit substances. The vigilance of members at the airport has been supplemented by specialised investigations that have been put in place to ensure that those perpetrators that have been detected are eventually convicted and sentenced.”

The community is encouraged to continue sending tip-offs via MySAPSApp or calling our Crime Stop number ‪08600 10111‬. Callers may remain anonymous and all information received will be treated with the strictest confidence, police said.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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