Customs officials make R40m drug bust at OR Tambo
Custom officials seized 67 pieces of calcium hydroxide, which is used to produce crystal meth, at a cargo terminal at the OR Tambo International Airport on Monday.
The intercepted drugs weighed more than 130 kg and had an estimated street value of R40 million.
The Customs Detector Dog Unit was deployed for routine inspections on an incoming cargo flight when a suspicious driver was spotted.
The man could be seen loading goods from two boxes into his vehicle.
According to Sars spokesperson Sicelo Nkosi, officials then uncovered a total 67 blocks of an unknown substance originating from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
The goods were declared as personal effects.
“The South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) was alerted about the detection to confirm and retest the substance. The test was positive for calcium hydroxide,” says Mkosi.
“The importer and driver were arrested. A criminal case was registered with the SAPS for further investigation.”
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