A female student travelling to Hong Kong was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday on charges of smuggling currency and failure to declare.
The woman was found in possession of $630 000, which equates to R9 265 725.
She was intercepted by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) customs officers. The money was packed in 50 and 100 dollar bundles in a plastic bag.
Acting chief officer: customs and excise, Beyers Theron, said: “The flight was due to leave when the officers intercepted the passenger on the flight. The passenger, a South African female student, who had boarded with two bags as hand luggage, was then alighted with her luggage.
“Initially, she denied having currency in her possession, but after further questioning, she admitted she had a substantial amount of money in her backpack. Officers led her to the customs search area, where she was placed in an interview room and requested to complete a traveller card.
“The passenger verbally stated she had $650 000 in her bag. She admitted she was not the owner of the currency, nor could she supply any proof of ownership,” Theron said.
Customs registered a criminal case of smuggling currency and failure to declare it at the local police station. The passenger was then arrested pending her court appearance.
