Another major cocaine bust at OR Tambo

Police are trying to establish the destination and the intended recipient of the 143kg of cocaine found at OR Tambo International Airport over the weekend.



During a routine search on Friday morning police at the international airport in Gauteng found 143kg of cocaine with a street value of about R50 million.



The drug was found hidden in 147 hair product bottles, police said. This is one of the largest drug recoveries by the authorities in the ports of entry.



“This cocaine consignment arrived from Brazil and information displayed on the cargo indicated that it was in transit to Cotonou, Benin, in West Africa,” South African Police Services (SAPS) spokesperson, brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, said.

The drugs are currently being tested at the SAPS forensic laboratory in Pretoria, he added.



National police commissioner, General Riah Phiyega, said: “The continuous discovery of drugs by both the Saps and the customs officials gives us a comfortable feeling that our ports of entry are manned by committed people, who understand the mission and mandate.”