The woman was arrested on Tuesday. Picture: iStock
An alleged drug mule who recently departed South Africa for Brazil under the guise of shopping for her “upcoming wedding” has landed in hot water after being apprehended at OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park with cocaine disguised as ‘Bon o Bon’ sweets.
The Germiston-based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team swooped in on the unsuspecting 33-year-old traveller at the airport on Tuesday morning.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said officers discovered the drugs after searching her luggage.
“A search to her luggage revealed the consignment of narcotics, which was established to be 10kg of cocaine. The vigilant team in the company of customs and dog detector further scanned the surroundings for possible aides and accomplices.”
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Ramovha said two other suspects were identified and monitored in the international arrivals hall.
“They were approached and brought in for questioning at the police station. They stated that they were waiting for a traveller from elsewhere, but they couldn’t provide proof thereof. It was eventually established that they were actually waiting for the arrested drug mule originating from Motherwell in Port Elizabeth.
“The two accomplices are both Nigerian nationals aged 37 and 52, respectively. The trio is scheduled to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 29 August 2024,” Ramovha said.
Last month, a suspected drug mule was also arrested at OR Tambo International Airport with cocaine estimated at R1 million.
Police were acting on intelligence that a man aboard an unidentified aircraft from São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil was carrying drugs.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said officers pounced on the alleged drug mule once the plane landed at OR Tambo International Airport.
“The cocaine was discovered wrapped in plastic, leading the police to believe that the consignment was strapped to his body. The man who is a Brazilian national has been detained and charged with drug trafficking.”
National police boss General Fannie Masemola has welcomed the arrest and warned those involved in “transnational organised crime” that South Africa is “no playground for syndicates involved in the trafficking of drugs”.
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