JOHANNESBURG - Police have arrested 116 suspected drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport over the past 24 months, with the latest major bust involving raw cocaine worth R200 million.
The seizure, in which cocaine was found concealed in cartridges inside four luggage bags on a flight from São Paulo, Brazil, is among several major drug busts highlighting the scale of the illicit drug trade.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says checks on flights to and from Brazil are conducted regularly to intercept illegal substances entering the country.
But while these arrests and seizures may suggest authorities are making inroads into drug trafficking networks, security strategist Andy Mashaile says the focus should extend beyond the mules and runners to the masterminds behind the operations and the sources of the drugs.
The concern is that intercepting individual shipments may not be enough to dismantle the networks supplying drugs to South Africa.
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 found suspected mandrax, cocaine and tik inside a vehicle parked in a garage, along with drug-packaging materials and cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.
Mashaile says drugs entering South Africa originate from countries including Brazil, Italy and Afghanistan, as well as surrounding regions. Intelligence-led operations at the country’s ports of entry involve the South African Revenue Service, the police and the Border Management Authority.
However, the scale of these seizures raises a bigger question: how much is still getting through?
The United Nations estimates that less than half of trafficked drugs are intercepted, suggesting that significant quantities may continue to reach their intended destinations despite enforcement efforts.
Mashaile says the operations demonstrate the state’s authority, but argues that targeting the masterminds behind drug trafficking remains critical.