Woman who smuggled cocaine in her dreadlocks is on her way back to SA

Nolubabalo “Babsie” Nobanda, who was caught smuggling cocaine in her dreadlocks, is homeward-bound.

eNCA reports that Nobanda will land at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday.

In December 2011, she was caught with 1.5kgs of cocaine mixed with baking powder and styled into her dreadlocks at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

She received a 30-year sentence which was reduced to 15 years due to her pleading guilty and cooperating.

Nobanda reportedly received help from a Belgian man, Henk Vanstaen, who has been helping South African women imprisoned in Bangkok for several years.

While in prison, she made a video which was screened at the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth to raise awareness of how victims of human trafficking become drug mules, and often end up in prison.

Nobanda is the second drug smuggler to be released from Thailand in recent months. On June 22, it was reported that Nontando Pendu was back in South Africa after almost 11 years in prison.

Pendu was arrested in October 2008 at Suvarnabhumi Airport carrying 2kg of heroin wrapped around her waist and stuffed into her private parts.

She, like Nobanda, was pardoned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

(Edited by Nica Schreuder. Additional reporting by Daniel Friedman.)

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