Unclaimed bag with crystal meth worth R8m seized at Johannesburg airport

24 May 2016 - 16:40 By TMG Digital

South African Revenue Service customs officials have recorded another success by intercepting an unaccompanied bag from India with five plastic bags of crystal meth valued at R8.1-million at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.The bag was from Chennai in India travelling via Abu Dhabi was scanned and revealed a suspicious sugar-like substance on Friday. This was later confirmed to be crystal meth‚ SARS said in a statement on Tuesday."No one has come forward to claim the bag."The narcotics have been handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation."This is the latest in a string of arrests and drug busts at South Africa's major airports.On Sunday‚ it was a pink suitcase on the baggage carousel at Cape Town International Airport that earned a “passenger” a one-way ticket to the state hotel.Police doing a profiling assignment at domestic arrivals bagged more than 2kg of a white substance resembling cocaine.They discovered the stash after observing a man‚ wearing a pair of blue jeans and brown sneakers‚ pick up a pink suitcase with wheels from a carousel and then head for the exit.“Police members approached him and asked the man to search his suitcase‚” said police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk.“While they were busy conducting the search‚ a hidden compartment was discovered and 22 plastic bags containing a suspicious white substance were found. The K9 Unit was contacted and the SAPS sniffer dog reacted positively to the substance.”They promptly arrested the 31-year-old Nigerian national.On Thursday last week‚ a male passenger from Sao Paulo was intercepted carrying 8.40kg of cocaine valued at R2.341-million at the OR Tambo airport.The man was on his way to Mozambique.The South African Revenue Service said his checked-in black bag was scanned and showed two backpacks concealed inside — as well as a “suspicious looking white substance that turned out to be cocaine“.On Tuesday‚ a stop and search operation at the Cape Town airport’s international departures netted officials a drug mule. Three compressed packets wrapped in brown plastic tape were hidden on the body of a 44-year-old female South African passenger. Saying the drugs appeared to be Tik‚ the SAPS said the packages weighed 1kg — with a street value of approximately R225‚000.Other drug busts at the airport this month include four Brazilian women found in possession of 8.5kg of cocaine with an estimated value of over R2.2 million and a 27-year-old man arrested for possession of cocaine with an estimated street value of R500‚000...

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