JOHANNESBURG – Police arrested another suspected drug trafficker at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday with approximately 2 kg of cocaine worth more than R800 000.
The 45-year-old man was intercepted following intelligence-led information whilst en route to Hong Kong, China. A subsequent search of his luggage resulted in the seizure of drugs suspected to be cocaine.
The arrest comes just days after police arrested a 54-year-old drug mule on 3 September at the same airport. That suspect was also travelling to Hong Kong with cocaine concealed inside his luggage.
These back-to-back arrests follow an even larger bust at OR Tambo in late August when police and customs officials seized approximately 334 kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated value of more than R200 million. The drugs were packed into two suitcases and four cargo boxes on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil.
South Africa’s airports and ports have become critical battlegrounds in the fight against international drug trafficking networks. The country’s strategic location makes it an attractive transit point for cartels moving narcotics between South America, Asia, and local markets.
Drug labs and Mexican cartel presence raise alarm
Law enforcement agencies have dismantled several major drug manufacturing operations across South Africa this year, raising concerns about the growing presence of international cartels.
On 20 August, a joint operation by the Hawks, police, and international partners including the US Drug Enforcement Agency dismantled a crystal meth laboratory on a farm in Musina, Limpopo. Five suspects were arrested, including two Mexican nationals, two Zimbabweans, and one Malawian. The operation seized drugs and manufacturing equipment with an estimated street value of R600 million.
Just two weeks later, on 2 September, police raided a suspected crystal methamphetamine laboratory at a farm in Klipvoorstad, near Jericho in North West province. A 62-year-old man was arrested, but three other suspects fled the scene. The operation followed community tip-offs about suspicious activity and strong chemical smells emanating from the property.
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Security experts from the Institute for Security Studies warn that Mexican cartels are increasingly establishing industrial-scale synthetic drug laboratories in South Africa. Rather than relocating entirely, these syndicates export chemists who train local criminal networks to manufacture synthetic substances.
Since 2024, at least five major clandestine laboratories with links to foreign nationals have been dismantled across Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West. US Africa Command officials noted that since 2023, 14 Mexican-operated laboratories have been raided across the African continent.
The latest suspect arrested at OR Tambo is expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court this week on drug-related charges.
Police spokesperson Lt Col Amanda van Wyk said the successive successes at South Africa’s busiest airport demonstrate the force’s continued efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks through intelligence-driven operations at the country’s ports of entry.
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