TWO passengers, who had swallowed 91 cocaine bullets between them, were arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on June 15.
The passengers disembarking a flight from Sao Paulo were stopped as one of them had been identified as a possible drug mule through SARS’ risk engines, while the second passenger displayed suspicious behaviour.
The passengers were taken to a hospital for body X-rays which showed the first passenger had 58 foreign objects inside his abdomen while the other had 41. Altogether 91 cocaine bullets, weighing about 1,4kg, were identified.
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The two suspects were arrested by the South African Police Service and placed under medical surveillance for release of the bullets.
Vigilant SARS Customs officials also intercepted a passenger with a backpack containing 16kg of ephedrine worth nearly R5-million on Sunday, June 19. The passenger, who had disembarked a flight from Kenya, attempted to rush past the customs officials.
After dog detectors reacted to the bag, a further full inspection and scan revealed five clear plastic bags containing a crystal substance which tested positive for crystal methamphetamine.
In yet another bust on Saturday, June 18, the SARS dog detector unit intercepted 4kg of cocaine worth R1,2-million. The bust was made during an aircraft inspection on a flight from Sao Paulo, when a SARS dog unit inspector detected a bodysuit hidden in the aircraft toilet.
The substance concealed in the bodysuit tested positive for cocaine.
