In the past 18 months, 142 drug smugglers arrested at OR Tambo International Airport had been convicted and sentenced to a total of 1 441 years combined.
During these joint security forces operations at the airport a variety of drugs with a street value of nearly R171 million had been confiscated.
South African Police Service members, together with other role-players stationed at the airport, are faced with challenges which require certain specialities.
They encounter suspects, syndicates and crime from all over the world, thus the importance of being a member country to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO).
The drugs seized at the airport include but are not limited to cocaine, crystal meth, ephedrine, heroine, khat, dagga and steroids – the most common being cocaine in powder format.
These drugs are found in luggage, clothing, body wraps or swallowed and the criminals are caught through intelligence driven work or random searches. In most cases the drugs originate from South American countries, other African countries and Asia to be manufactured and sold in South Africa. However, there are cases where suspects are arrested while only stopping over en route to other countries to manufacture and sell the drugs. The suspects include South Africans as well as various other nationalities.
From the arrests the past 18 months the following total amount of drugs were seized:
• 455 kilograms of cocaine estimated to be worth R114 301 184
• 124 kilograms of crystal meth estimated to be worth R37 453 800
• 9 grams of heroine estimated to be worth R1 806 199
• 7 kilograms of khat estimated to be worth R468 600
• 46 kilograms of ephedrine estimated to be worth R7 489 800
• 30 litres of ephedrine estimated to be worth R9 000 000
A total of 163 foreign nationals have also been convicted and sentenced in the past 18 months for using fraudulent documents such as identity documents, passport, and visas.
