A 43-year-old Paraguayan woman was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday after authorities discovered she had ingested 33 cocaine-filled pellets. This is the fourth drug trafficking bust at the airport in Kempton Park, Gauteng, in the past two weeks.

SHE SWALLOWED 33 COCAINE BULLETS

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk said the woman landed at the airport from São Paulo in Brazil when she was arrested for drug trafficking. She said the woman was taken to a local hospital where a medical x-ray revealed the presence of foreign objects in her stomach. "A total of 33 drug bullets containing cocaine were subsequently released. This arrest marks the fourth drug trafficker intercepted at OR Tambo International Airport in the past two weeks,' Van Wyk said. The suspect will appear in court soon.

DRUG BUSTS

Last month, police minister Senzo Mchunu revealed during the release of crime statistics that the police seized drugs valued at R77.7 million for the period between April and June 2024. In September, a 21-year-old South African woman was arrested after landing from São Paulo in Brazil. An X-ray examination confirmed that she had swallowed over 100 bullets containing drugs. A week later, a Namibian drug mule was also arrested and found with 60 bullets of cocaine. In the same month, a Nigerian drug mule was arrested at the airport with drugs worth more than R13 million. The police also revealed that between September and October, they arrested 14 drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport, including two Dutch traffickers who were found with 80 kg of Khat.