South African authorities have seized cocaine worth more than R200 million during two separate interceptions at OR Tambo International Airport.
The operation took place on Tuesday, 25 August, and involved South African Police Service members stationed at the airport alongside other law enforcement agencies and customs officials.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said officers intercepted the drugs at both the passenger terminal and the airport’s cargo section.
Suitcases packed with cocaine intercepted
During the first interception, officers stopped two large travel suitcases at the airport terminal.
Mathe said the suitcases contained blocks of suspected cocaine weighing approximately 84 kilograms.
No arrests were made following the discovery.
Police have not provided further details on where the suitcases originated or who was expected to collect them.
250kg seized from cargo section
Police intercepted a second, much larger consignment separately at OR Tambo’s cargo section.
Authorities found four boxes containing approximately 250 kilograms of suspected cocaine.
The drugs had been packaged into 220 blocks.
According to police, the combined estimated street value of the cocaine seized during the two operations exceeds R200 million.
Mathe said investigations are underway to identify and arrest those believed to be responsible for importing and distributing the drugs.
Police target trafficking networks
Acting national police commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane praised the multidisciplinary team involved in the interceptions.
She said officers at the international airport regularly intercept large quantities of drugs and disrupt the activities of drug mules.
Dimpane said the latest seizures showed that authorities would continue targeting syndicates attempting to use South Africa as either a transit point or market for illegal drugs.
She added that SAPS would continue working with other law enforcement agencies to identify, intercept and dismantle drug trafficking networks.
No suspects had been arrested in connection with either consignment at the time of the police statement, and the investigation remains ongoing.