Hawks hit the sweet spot, seize 10kg cocaine haul hidden in treats
South Africa’s elite crime fighters, the Hawks, again tasted victory at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday when they arrested an alleged drug mule found in possession of 10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in sweets in her luggage.
The 33-year-old woman, who has not yet been identified, but who is from Motherwell in Nelson Mandela Bay, was arrested at the airport along with two Nigerian nationals, aged 37 and 52.
While the Hawks have not yet revealed the origin or South African base of the two men, they are believed to have been awaiting the woman’s arrival at the airport.
Eastern Cape drug mules
This is not the first high-profile and large quantity narcotics smuggling case to be linked to Port Elizabeth and the Eastern Cape.
In 2011, Nolubabalo “Babsie” Nobanda made international headlines when she was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Nobanda, who was notoriously dubbed “Druglocks” after she was found to have concealed a large quantity of cocaine in her dreadlocks, was “recruited” in Port Elizabeth.
Hawks ‘pounce’ on drug mule at OR Tambo
According to the Hawks, Tuesday’s arrested came after the suspected drug mule had recently left the country for Brazil – allegedly to shop for her “upcoming wedding”.
She was then apprehended at the airport in Kempton Park when she returned to South Africa on Tuesday morning.
10kg of cocaine seized
Gauteng provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the Hawks), Captain Lloyd Ramovha, said the Germiston-based Hawks team had “pounced on the unsuspecting 33-year-old traveller”.
“A search to her luggage revealed the consignment of narcotics, which was established to be 10 kilograms of cocaine,” said Ramovha.
Images supplied by the Hawks show the attempt to conceal the narcotics in both sweets and their wrappers, as well as in the lining of the suspect’s luggage.
Hawks apprehend two Nigerian suspects
Accompanied by customs officials and sniffer dogs, the Hawks team scoured the airport for accomplices or anyone who may have been there to assist the woman.
They then identified and monitored the two Nigerian suspects at the international arrivals section there.
Ramovha said the team approached the two men, who were then taken in for questioning.
He explained that the suspects had claimed they had been waiting for a traveller from elsewhere, but could not produce any proof to substantiate their claim.
“It was eventually established that they were actually waiting for the arrested drug mule originating from Motherwell in Port Elizabeth,” revealed Ramovha.
Confirming the Nigerian nationality of the 37- and the 52-year-old men, the spokesperson said all three suspects were scheduled to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 29 August 2024.
OR Tambo drug busts
Last month, IOL reported that a Brazilian national appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng after attempting to smuggle drugs through OR Tambo International Airport.
Brazilian national Risclift Tadue Ramos, 36, was arrested by the Hawks after he was found in possession of four kilograms of cocaine. The narcotics had been wrapped in cling wrap and hidden on his body.