Gunship
12th Mar 2003, 19:24
An unemployed South African man has been arrested at Johannesburg International Airport after trying to walk through customs with 22kg of cocaine in his luggage.
Police spokesman Eugene Opperman said the 34-year-old man arrived on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday.
He was initially confronted by immigration officials, who believed he was trying to enter the country with a false passport. But then detectives from the South African Narcotics Bureau based at the airport decided to check his luggage.
The man appeared to have very little in his suitcase, but closer inspection led to the discovery of R9,9-million worth of cocaine hidden in false compartments, said Opperman.
The man is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Police spokesman Eugene Opperman said the 34-year-old man arrived on a flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil on Monday.
He was initially confronted by immigration officials, who believed he was trying to enter the country with a false passport. But then detectives from the South African Narcotics Bureau based at the airport decided to check his luggage.
The man appeared to have very little in his suitcase, but closer inspection led to the discovery of R9,9-million worth of cocaine hidden in false compartments, said Opperman.
The man is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on Thursday.