23kg of drugs seized at airport

Published Feb 7, 2013

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Johannesburg -

The SA Revenue Service (Sars) seized more than 23kg of drugs last month, spokeswoman Marika Muller said on Thursday.

She said the narcotics, including 21.2kg of cocaine and 1.8kg of heroin, had a street value of just over R6 million.

“In all cases, the drugs seized and the individuals involved were handed over to the police at OR Tambo International (airport) for further action.”

In one of the 10 seizures, six kilograms of cocaine was found in two items of unclaimed luggage which arrived in Johannesburg on a flight from Argentina.

“The inspection found hardened, starched clothes, which had been soaked in liquid cocaine,” Muller said.

In another case, a man arriving in Johannesburg from Sao Paulo was found with 2.46kg of cocaine concealed in the soles of a number of pairs of sandals in his luggage.

An abandoned body wrap containing almost two kilograms of cocaine was found on a plane arriving in Johannesburg from Sao Paulo.

A drug detection dog named April alerted authorities to the luggage of a man arriving from Sao Paulo. Almost 1.5kg of cocaine was found in the lining of a jacket in his luggage.

A man disembarking after a flight from Doha was found with 1.8kg of heroin concealed in shoes in his hand luggage.

A woman arriving in Johannesburg from Sao Paulo was found wearing a body wrap containing 2.5kg of cocaine.

Thirty dagga seeds, sent to South Africa from a mail order company in Granada in the West Indies, were also confiscated. - Sapa

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