Johannesburg - A 22-year-old woman travelling on a Norwegian passport was arrested and appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday after she was found with 17 kilograms of Khat valued at R34 400, police said.
South African Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo on Tuesday said Najmo Abokar Ibrahim was arrested at OR Tambo airport as she was about to board a Zurich-bound flight.
“She is the second person to have been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport this month,” said Naidoo.
Police said Ibrahim’s arrest followed the arrest of British national, Graeme John Richards, 50, who was found with Khat weighing 26 kilograms.
In an unrelated incident at OR Tambo, Naidoo said the police task team investigating corruption at the airport arrested two men for extortion. Both men work for a company at the airport.
Naudo said investigations were initiated after an Angolan woman was duped into paying the pair US$200 (R3,197) “to fix” a problem with her child’s travelling documents so she could enter South Africa.
“According to immigration the child’s papers were not in order,” said Naidoo.
The Brigadier said Emmanuel Tsebe, 22, and Luthando Dayile, 24, were arrested last Wednesday and appeared in the Kempton Park court on Thursday, where they were each granted R2 000 bail.
They will appear in the same court again on March 16.
Ibrahim’s case was postponed to April 22 for further investigations.
African News Agency