International drug traffickers appear to be increasingly targeting OR Tambo International Airport, with yet another significant drug seizure reported there over the weekend.
On Friday, law enforcement successfully intercepted a Paraguayan drug mule’s audacious attempt to evade capture by concealing 33 cocaine bullets in her stomach.
Another drug mule captured at OR Tambo
Officials indicated that this arrest was part of ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking into South Africa, occurring shortly after the 43-year-old woman arrived from São Paulo on Friday, December 6.
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk, the suspect was taken to a local hospital, where an X-ray revealed foreign objects identified as drug bullets in her stomach.
Ultimately, a total of 33 cocaine-filled bullets were surgically removed from the Paraguayan trafficker.
Four arrests in the past fortnight
This recent arrest marks the fourth drug trafficker apprehended at the airport in just two weeks.
This past Tuesday, a 21-year-old man was arrested after arriving from Brazil, with an X-ray revealing several plastic-wrapped cocaine bullets hidden in his stomach.
On November 28, police caught a 44-year-old Brazilian woman who had cocaine concealed around her body.
This concealment method echoed that of a 25-year-old Brazilian man arrested on November 24, who had more than three kilograms of cocaine wrapped around him. The street value of the seized cocaine is estimated at R1.8 million.
Worrying surge in drug trafficking at OR Tambo
Van Wyk previously noted that 14 suspects have been arrested on drug trafficking charges at OR Tambo airport over a four-month period.
- In October, three individuals, including two Dutch traffickers, were found with 80kg of Khat.
- Also in October, a 43-year-old Paraguayan man was arrested upon arrival from São Paulo.
This individual required urgent medical attention after suffering health complications from the drug bullets he ingested, ultimately releasing around 117 cocaine-filled bullets.
Deputy national commissioner responsible for policing, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, remarked at the time that each bullet weighed approximately 10g.
“That is an enormous amount for one person to consume,” Mosikili told TimesLIVE.
“Swallowing bullets is highly dangerous. There is a risk that a bullet could burst within the body, and they also have the potential to detonate, which could result in instant fatality,” he added.
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