3 held for smuggling cocaine
2008-05-13 16:26
Johannesburg - Three people were arrested for smuggling cocaine into Cape Town and OR Tambo international airports, the police's national head offices said on Tuesday.
Captain Dennis Adriao said one man, aged 28, was arrested at OR Tambo airport on Saturday with 5.7kg of cocaine in his possession.
The cocaine had an estimated value of R5m.
The man had arrived on a flight from Lisbon in Portugal. He was a South African citizen.
He had hidden the cocaine in desktop pen holders and small lotion bottles.
He appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of dealing in drugs and drug smuggling.
A 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman were arrested at Cape Town International Airport on Monday in possession of eight kilograms of cocaine with a street value of R10m.
The pair had flown in from Buenos Aires in Argentina. Both were Durban residents and South African citizens.
The two are expected to appear in a Cape Town court on charges of drug dealing and drug smuggling.
"SA Police are intensifying efforts to stop drug trafficking into our country through profiling and other measures."
"We caution people against carrying luggage and packages for other people, especially strangers, as they could face imprisonment of up to 25 years for drug smuggling," said Adriao.
- SAPA