21-year-old 'drug mule' arrested at OR Tambo on flight from Brazil

A 21-year-old woman found with drugs in her stomach has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport for alleged drug trafficking.

According to police the South African woman was profiled and intercepted as she was arriving on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, just before 9am on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said she was taken to a local hospital where an X-ray confirmed there were foreign objects in her stomach.

Mathe said the woman had already released a number of bullets from her body and was in police custody where police were monitoring the release of more drug bullets.

“This process is still unfolding,” she said.

The arrest came after a joint operation between the police and South African Revenue Services (Sars) Customs at the OR Tambo International (ORTIA) Airport.

According to the police, this is the 11th alleged drug mule to be arrested at ORTIA in two months.

National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola commended the vigilance of Sars and police at the airport.

“Our men and women in blue working closely with Sars customs and various stakeholders continue to assert the authority of the state at all our ports of entry. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our members and urge them to do more to squeeze the space for criminals. Drug traffickers are feeling the heat and there is nowhere to hide”, said Masemola.

Mathe said every week in the past month, police and Sars customs, immigration and border management agency at ORTIA had intercepted drug traffickers.

Last week Sunday, a 30-year-old Namibian drug mule was arrested after arriving from São Paulo.

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