Customs officers of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) at the OR Tambo International Airport, intercepted pelleted cargo declared as multi-purpose anti-slip mats, the revenue service said in a press release.

When the consignment was inspected, customs officers found it was used to conceal crystal meth weighing 785 kg with the street value of R236m.

The Hawks was informed, and the seized goods were handed over to them for further investigation.

SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter commended customs officers for stopping the despatch of the drugs.

He said “I want to send a clear warning to the criminal syndicates that are using our ports of entry/exit to commit this type of crime, that our officers are alert and working very hard to stamp out such criminality. The excellent cooperation with other law enforcement agencies at these ports is enabling all of us to deal a deadly blow to these illegal activities”.