JOHANNESBURG - BAG FOUND WITH OVER R8 MILLION WORTH OF CRYSTAL METH AT OR TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

South African Revenue Service customs officials have recorded another success by intercepting an unaccompanied bag from India with five plastic bags of crystal meth valued at R8.1-million at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

The bag was from Chennai in India travelling via Abu Dhabi was scanned and revealed a suspicious sugar-like substance on Friday. This was later confirmed to be crystal meth‚ SARS said in a statement on Tuesday.

"No one has come forward to claim the bag.

"The narcotics have been handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation."

This is the latest in a string of arrests and drug busts at South Africa's major airports.

On Sunday‚ it was a pink suitcase on the baggage carousel at Cape Town International Airport that earned a “passenger” a one-way ticket to the state hotel.

Police doing a profiling assignment at domestic arrivals bagged more than 2kg of a white substance resembling cocaine.

They discovered the stash after observing a man‚ wearing a pair of blue jeans and brown sneakers‚ pick up a pink suitcase with wheels from a carousel and then head for the exit.

“Police members approached him and asked the man to search his suitcase‚” said police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk.

“While they were busy conducting the search‚ a hidden compartment was discovered and 22 plastic bags containing a suspicious white substance were found. The K9 Unit was contacted and the SAPS sniffer dog reacted positively to the substance.”

They promptly arrested the 31-year-old Nigerian national.

On Thursday last week‚ a male passenger from Sao Paulo was intercepted carrying 8.40kg of cocaine valued at R2.341-million at the OR Tambo airport.

The man was on his way to Mozambique.

The South African Revenue Service said his checked-in black bag was scanned and showed two backpacks concealed inside — as well as a “suspicious looking white substance that turned out to be cocaine“.

On Tuesday‚ a stop and search operation at the Cape Town airport’s international departures netted officials a drug mule. Three compressed packets wrapped in brown plastic tape were hidden on the body of a 44-year-old female South African passenger. Saying the drugs appeared to be Tik‚ the SAPS said the packages weighed 1kg — with a street value of approximately R225‚000.

Other drug busts at the airport this month include four Brazilian women found in possession of 8.5kg of cocaine with an estimated value of over R2.2 million and a 27-year-old man arrested for possession of cocaine with an estimated street value of R500‚000.

VIA - timeslive.co.za

LIMPOPO - FOREIGN NATIONAL CAUGHT WITH HEROIN WORTH R93 MILLION

A man travelling with a Tanzanian passport is expected to appear in the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after police discovered drugs worth R93 million and cash, including foreign currency, hidden in his vehicle.

Limpopo police spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said detectives received a tip-off about a vehicle transporting drugs.

“A look out for the bakkie ensued. It was spotted and thoroughly searched by members. They confiscated R139 900 and US$10,000 hidden in the door panels,” said Otto.

Police further searched through the vehicle seats and the back where they discovered 93 bags of heroin with a street value of R93 million.

The 33-year-old man is expected to appear in the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of smuggling and dealing in drugs.

VIA - iol.co.za

CAPE TOWN - OVER 2KGS OF DRUGS SEIZED AT CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

It was a pink suitcase on the baggage carousel at Cape Town International Airport that earned a “passenger” a one-way ticket to the state hotel.

Police doing a profiling assignment at domestic arrivals bagged more than 2kg of a white substance resembling cocaine on Sunday.

They discovered the stash after observing a man‚ wearing a pair of blue jeans and brown sneakers‚ pick up a pink suitcase with wheels from a carousel and then head for the exit.

“Police members approached him and asked the man to search his suitcase‚” said police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk.

“While they were busy conducting the search‚ a hidden compartment was discovered and 22 plastic bags containing a suspicious white substance were found. The K9 Unit was contacted and the SAPS sniffer dog reacted positively to the substance.”

They promptly arrested the 31-year-old Nigerian National‚ who is due to appear soon in the Bellville Magistrates’ Court.

The weight of the substance was recorded to be 2.36kg.

VIA - heraldlive.co.za

DURBAN - POLICE MAKE "JELLY BABY" DRUG BUST

Durban - Parents should warn their children not to accept sweets from strangers, says an activist after police discovered a drug dubbed “jelly babies” at a laboratory in Chatsworth at the weekend.

Police believe the drug, which resembles a sweet, which was found along with ingredients and moulding equipment, may be new to Durban.

Three people were arrested in the raid, at a house in Hawk Street, Kharwastan, on Friday night.

Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala, described the discovery as a major breakthrough.

The Durban Flying Squad and Organised Crime Unit had initially intercepted a drug deal taking place in a parking lot near a shopping centre in North Beach that evening.

Police, including members of the Hawks, then received information that a home in Kharwastan was producing the drugs.

“Police surrounded and then stormed the double-storey house where ‘jelly babies’ were being produced. Cellphones, a laptop and two gas guns were also recovered from the suspects,” Gwala said.

Police found plastic containers and bowls containing the ingredients used in the mixture of the drugs on a dining room table.

An assortment of fondant-icing-like items in the shape of sweets; chemicals; and plastic trays used to mould the drugs, were also found.

A source said the ingredients included dagga, pseudoephedrine, alcohol, gelatine, sugar and citric acid.

Police said the suspects lived in the home and cooked and manufactured the drugs on the stove they used to warm their own food.

Three men, aged between 27 and 39, were charged with possession of drugs.

They were expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Sam Pillay, of the Anti-Drug Forum in Durban, said there had been a similar drug bust in the same road three years ago.

He could not be certain if it was at the same house.

Pillay said anti-drug activists were concerned about moves to legalise dagga - which had been found during the raid - and which he said was known to be highly addictive.

Also on Friday, four men were arrested for dealing in heroin in Sirdar Road, Clairwood. The Hawks found them in possession of 156 capsules.

They have been charged with seven counts of dealing in drugs and were expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

* The SAPS said on Monday that border police and the SANDF recovered 11 bags of dagga, with a street value of R250 000, in the Pongola area on Wednesday. Suspects are still at large.

VIA - iol.co.za

CAPE TOWN - SPIKED DRINKS AT CLUBS AND BARS WARNING ISSUED AFTER TEEN RESCUED

A Cape Town man has warned of the potential danger of drinks being spiked at clubs and pubs in the city centre after friends found a young woman barely conscious with the top half of her body naked, walking with three men she didn’t know, in Loop street.

Jared Naidoo said his friends managed to get the young woman away from the men who had initially become aggressive, but then left.

He said when he arrived just after 10 on the night before Freedom Day, the young woman, who looked about 19, was lying on the side of the pavement in Loop street, unconscious and throwing up.

It wasn’t clear whether she had just drunk too much or had her drinks spiked.

Naidoo said that when paramedics arrived, they put her in an ambulance to be checked.

He said the medic told them he could barely smell alcohol on her, or not enough to warrant that type of intoxication.

Last year, on the blog “Cape Town Etc”, Justin Williams, referring to safety in Long Street, wrote: “Just recently, I heard a story of a girl who drank beyond her limit at a club in Long Street. A couple, who are friends of mine, noticed her in a very unsober state and tried to help establish who she arrived with and how she planned on getting home that night.

“As they all walked out of the club, a group of five men approached the couple and girl and offered them money if they could take the girl home with them after noticing her in her state.

“I find this absolutely sickening and the entire situation worrying. She got home safely that night.”

With reference to the incident in Loop Street last week, Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) safety and security manager, Muneeb Hendricks, said the CCID had been called to the scene by pedestrians who found the young woman unconscious, and it was their officers who had called for medical assistance from Metro EMS.

Hendricks said they had not received any reports of incidents of drinks being spiked, nor had there been any confirmation that this is what happened in this instance.

“There has been no reporting of spiking of drinks either via our own incident reporting system or via the reports we receive from SAPS.”

But he said that, like anywhere in the world where there were clubs and bars, it was inevitable that some youngsters drank too much.

Mischa Blecher, project manager of the Long Street Association, said drink-spiking did occasionally happen, but was in no way unique to the CBD and is a city-wide phenomenon.

“The Long Street Association (LSA) is concerned with public safety, specifically in Long Street. The spiking of drinks usually occurs inside venues, which is out of the realm of our security personnel.”

But Blecher added that the central city was, contrary to public perception, remarkably safe at night.

“This is continuously backed up by crime statistics taken from SAPS and the CCID. People over the age of 18, if they are keen, should definitely be partying in Long Street and the surrounds.

“They should do so with appropriate caution which I think is exercised by most South Africans, given our country’s high crime rate.”

Hendricks said CCID officers tried to assist by calling taxis, escorting people to where they needed to go and, even on occasion, calling parents to collect their children.

He added that Long Street and the surrounding streets hadrecorded their safest festive season in a decade.

“This is largely due to the joint partnerships that were put in place by City Law Enforcement, the CCID and the Long Street Business Association, which saw an additional 10 law enforcement officers deployed in the area until the end of March.”

He said there were now an additional six security officers in place, paid for by the Long Street Business Association.

Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said they were looking to provide an additional 10 officers in the coming months.

He said the CCTV network in the area also had a positive impact, both in terms of preventing crime and with catching suspects.

Smith added, however, that the city law enforcement presence in the area was comparatively limited when compared with the police.

“SAPS have more officers working from the Cape Town Police Station than the City has metro police in the entire city,” Smith said.

“Furthermore, in terms of the impact of crime, there are other areas in the City far worse affected, and as such are prioritised in terms of police presence.”

Cape Argus

CAPE TOWN - WOMAN BUST WITH COCAINE CHOCOLATE BULLETS WORTH R1.2 MILLION

Cape Town – A woman was arrested on Tuesday after she was found in possession of what the South African Revenue Services (Sars) called “cocaine chocolate bullets” worth R1.2 million.

Sars customs officials based at the Cape Town International Airport found the four kilograms worth of drugs late on Monday afternoon after they had searched the woman’s hand luggage.

On inspection of the luggage, a customs official found and opened multiple chocolate containers, for which the woman could not produce receipts or proof of purchase.

“It turned out that they were filled with 200 bullets of unknown white substance that tests confirmed to be cocaine,” Sars said.

The woman and her luggage were then handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation. The woman is due to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

African News Agency