45-year-old arrested at OR Tambo with about 2kg of cocaine worth over R800,000

A 45-year-old man was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after police seized approximately 2kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than R800,000. The arrest, which police described as intelligence-led, took place on Monday.

How the arrest unfolded

South African Police Service (SAPS) national spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk said officers intercepted the man at the airport where a search of his luggage uncovered drugs suspected to be cocaine. The suspect was reportedly en route to Hong Kong, China when arrested.

Charges and next steps

Police said the man is expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court this week on drug-related charges.

Context: a second recent arrest at the same airport

Van Wyk said this was the second drug mule arrested at OR Tambo in four days. She referred to an earlier arrest of a 54-year-old South African man on Thursday, when police also seized drugs suspected to be cocaine after receiving information.

Regarding that earlier arrest, van Wyk said the exact value and weight of the drugs seized were yet to be determined and would be confirmed in due course.

Police statement

“These successive successes at South Africa’s busiest airport demonstrate the SAPS’s continued efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks through intelligence-driven operations at the country’s ports of entry,” van Wyk said.

The SAPS supplied images showing the seized drugs.