POLL | Is the government doing enough to ensure South Africa is not a drug mule-friendly place?

01 October 2024 - 11:00 By TimesLIVE
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
The drugs swallowed by an arrested woman at OR Tambo Airport.
The drugs swallowed by an arrested woman at OR Tambo Airport.
Image: SAPS

Recent arrests at OR Tambo International Airport involving drug trafficking suspects have reignited a debate on whether the government is doing enough to ensure South Africa does not turn into a drug mule-friendly country. 

An alleged female drug trafficker was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday and is said to have passed more than 110 drug “bullets” suspected to be cocaine, police said on Monday.

This was more than the average number of drug bullets drug mules intercepted at the airport usually carried.

The 21-year-old South African was profiled and intercepted as she arrived on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, just before 9am on Sunday. She was taken to a hospital where an X-ray confirmed the presence of foreign objects in her stomach.

In a separate incident a 30-year-old woman from Namibia was arrested by police at the airport about a week ago.

She had flown from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday, said police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe.

Mathe said she was the 10th drug mule to be arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in the past two months.

TimesLIVE


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.