Police have arrested 116 suspected drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport over the past 24 months, as authorities continue efforts to combat drug trafficking into South Africa. The latest major seizure involved raw cocaine worth an estimated R200 million, allegedly concealed in cartridges inside four luggage bags on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says inspections of flights travelling to and from Brazil are conducted regularly as part of efforts to intercept illegal substances entering the country.
However, security strategist Andy Mashaile says authorities need to look beyond the couriers transporting the drugs and focus on identifying and dismantling the criminal networks behind the trade. He argues that arresting individual suspects and seizing drug shipments may not be enough to disrupt the operations of those financing and coordinating the trafficking.
In a separate operation in Rowallan Park, Gqeberha, police seized drugs worth more than R9.7 million and arrested a 38-year-old suspect.
Officers reportedly discovered suspected mandrax, cocaine and tik inside a vehicle parked in a garage. Drug-packaging materials and cash believed to be proceeds of crime were also seized.
Mashaile says drugs entering South Africa originate from countries including Brazil, Italy and Afghanistan, as well as neighbouring regions.
He says intelligence-driven operations at ports of entry involve several agencies, including the South African Revenue Service, the South African Police Service and the Border Management Authority.
Despite the seizures, concerns remain about the volume of drugs that may be reaching their intended destinations undetected. The United Nations estimates that less than half of trafficked drugs are intercepted, suggesting that significant quantities may still be entering illicit markets.
Mashaile says the operations demonstrate the state's ability to enforce the law, but stresses that identifying and targeting the masterminds behind drug trafficking remains crucial to dismantling these networks.