Namibian woman nabbed with ‘cocaine bullets’ at OR Tambo Airport

A 30-year-old Namibian national has been arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park east of Johannesburg for allegedly trafficking drugs.

Police say the female suspect swallowed cocaine ‘bullets’ while travelling from Brazil.

The bullets are packages of cocaine wrapped in plastic which the drug mule swallows and then excretes later.

The arrest follows a tip-off from the airport’s customs staff.

It is suspected that the woman has accomplices.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe says the suspect may spend a day in hospital until all the drugs pass through her body.

 

#sapsHQ A 30-year-old female Namibian drug mule has been arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport.

SAPS, SARS custom, and immigration officials were following up on intelligence from SAPS of a drug mule that would land from Sau Paulo at about 07:25.

The team immediately… pic.twitter.com/Nl7AeN56Mz

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) September 22, 2024

“So we will be taking her in between hospitals to check and get her X-ray on whether all the drugs have been ejected out of her system. I can confirm that she has already released more than 20 to 30 bullets of cocaine. We are not sure how many more she has,” she said.

Suspected drug mule arrested at OR Tambo Airport: Brigadier Athlenda Mathe