Cocaine worth R7m bound for DRC found at OR Tambo airport

THE South African Revenue Service said customs officials and drug detector dogs at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg intercepted 26kg of cocaine estimated at around R7.4 million from Sao Paolo, Brazil, in transit to the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday.

“The shipment of narcotics was discovered when officers identified the cosmetic products for inspection where the detector dog gave a positive indication. Upon examination, the bottles of cosmetics products were found to contain white cream which dried up quicker than normal cream and became powdery when dry,” spokesperson Sandile Memela said.

“A narcotic test on randomly selected bottles confirmed the contents to be cocaine.”

The goods were handed to the South African Police Service and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations for further investigation and safe-keeping, Memela said. – ANA