A Guyanese woman was busted with a quantity of cocaine in handbags concealed in a false compartment of her luggage on Monday at the OR Tambo International Airport, South African Revenue Service (SARS) officials announced in a statement to the media yesterday.
“Customs officers stopped a Guyanese female passenger who had disembarked at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg in transit from Sao Paolo to Maputo. The passenger was brought to the search area where her luggage was removed from the transit flight and searched,” SARS spokesperson Luther Lebelo said in the statement.
During inspection, he said, cocaine weighing 9.985kg was found concealed in 10 handbags in a false compartment of her luggage. The woman, who was not named, was handed over to the law enforcement authorities for further investigation.
The statement also said during the 2014/2015 financial year, there had been eight incidents at the airport where the modus operandi was using handbags to conceal narcotics. The weight of the seizures varied, with the lowest being 2.895kg and the highest 16.82kg. This concealment method allowed for smugglers to attempt to bring in large quantities, as opposed to swallowers and those that use body wraps, it said.
“Regardless of the smugglers’ attempts to deceive Customs by concealing narcotics in handbags, vigilant and alert customs officials continue to intercept suspects using such concealment methods,” Lebelo said.
“SARS will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that illicit substances, such as narcotics, are prevented from entering or leaving our country.”
