Gauteng SAPS & Ethiopian police arrest suspected South African drug dealer
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has hailed a joint operation between Gauteng police and their counterparts in Ethiopia to arrest a suspected South African drug trafficker in Addis Ababa.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says Gauteng police flagged a 29-year-old woman who travelled to Brazil and allegedly returned to South Africa via several countries.
"The woman indeed travelled to Brazil from OR Tambo International Airport during the first week of October," said Mathe.
"According to the drug trafficker’s itinerary, she was supposed to travel from Brazil via Addis Ababa via Sudan and back to South Africa. Hot on her heels, SAPS intelligence immediately notified the Ethiopian Federal Police about her movements.
"On arrival at Addis Ababa on 12 October 2024, she was flagged, and her luggage was checked, which confirmed that she was carrying 13kg of cocaine. She was immediately apprehended and is expected to be charged and appear in court in Ethiopia."
Masemola praised the cooperation between the two countries' law enforcement agencies.
“When African police organisations unite, more can and will be achieved by working together. We are stamping the authority of the state on a larger scale and sending out a clearer message that the long arm of the law will find you, no matter which route you utilise to try and traffic drugs into SA. We are intensifying our fight against transnational organised crime and the trafficking of drugs,” said Masemola.
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