[Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Gauteng police are clearly done playing porter for international drug syndicates because in just one week, they’ve netted three more drug traffickers trying to hustle their stash through OR Tambo International Airport. It’s practically a conveyor belt for cocaine at this point.
On June 5, 2025, a 42-year-old Nigerian national waltzed in from São Paulo, Brazil, en route to Nigeria, except his trip ended in cuffs, reported The Citizen.
According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk, the man landed at 7am and got an unwanted welcome party from airport police. “A medical x-ray confirmed that he had ingested more than 70 drug ‘bullets’ suspected to contain cocaine.”
Because what screams ‘great life choices’ louder than swallowing dozens of packets of narcotics and boarding a long-haul flight?
But wait, OR Tambo wasn’t done. On June 10, before most people had finished their coffee, police intercepted a second trafficker just after she landed at 06:15am from, you guessed it, São Paulo.
“During an inspection of the 30-year-old Brazilian national’s luggage, she indicated she had ingested more than 100 cocaine-filled ‘bullets’, which was later confirmed by a medical x-ray.”
Forget breakfast—this woman had a belly full of Class A.
Later that same day, officers found a 57-year-old Ethiopian man trying to slip out of the country, presumably with a lighter load. But Van Wyk said a search of the suspect’s luggage uncovered more than 90 kilograms of Khat.
If nothing else, give the man points for commitment; 90 kilos of anything in your luggage is not exactly inconspicuous.
All three suspects were marched straight to the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on charges of drug trafficking, and judging by SAPS’ recent track record, they won’t be the last.
Van Wyk said their operations are laser-focused: “Through targeted intelligence-driven operations, Saps has intercepted more than 23 drug traffickers at OR Tambo International Airport in the past six months.”
And the hits just keep coming. Just last month, a 39-year-old Brazilian national was busted with R1.4 million worth of cocaine strapped to his legs like some low-budget Bond villain. He was on his way to Benin, but instead got benched in Kempton Park.
“He was pulled aside and during a body search, cocaine was found wrapped around his legs,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. “He has been arrested and is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of drug trafficking.”
So why the nonstop drama at OR Tambo?
According to ISS crime expert Willem Els, it’s not just a South African problem; it’s a prime pit stop on a global smuggling superhighway.
“The organised crime syndicates facilitating these activities are feeding off each other. If one syndicate moves in, others follow, creating a criminal environment.”
The mules might change, but the route stays the same.
And that São Paulo-to-Johannesburg flight? It’s the drug trade’s version of a Black Friday sale—cheap, fast, and always packed. “This route explains why more individuals arrested come from South America and Brazil, specifically. It’s lucrative and has been exploited for a long time by drug couriers,” Els said.
Thankfully, better teamwork between South African and Brazilian police is turning OR Tambo from a trafficking gateway into a trap door. “In recent months, there’s been excellent cooperation between the Brazilian federal police and the South African police, which has contributed to many successes along that route.”
Cocaine mules, khat haulers, and dodgy leg wraps—whatever they try next, the runway’s looking more like a trap than a takeoff.
[Source: The Citizen]
