A 21-year-old Brazilian man was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday for attempting to smuggle cocaine into South Africa. The suspect, intercepted by SAPS crime intelligence just after midday, was taken to a local hospital, where an X-ray confirmed the presence of drugs in his stomach. The police are in the process of retrieving plastic-covered cocaine bullets that the suspect had swallowed. He will face charges of drug possession and trafficking in court later this week.
This arrest marks the third such case involving Brazilian drug mules in recent weeks. Two other suspects from Brazil, one man and one woman, were apprehended last week after landing from Sao Paulo with cocaine wrapped around their waists. The authorities are working swiftly to crack down on these drug trafficking operations.
In a separate incident, a suspect was shot dead and five others arrested during a business robbery at a Johannesburg filling station. The SAPS crime prevention unit, along with community patrols, responded to an explosion at the station and confronted a group of armed robbers. After a shootout, one suspect was killed, and five were arrested with a 9mm pistol, detonators, and cigarettes recovered from the scene.
Meanwhile, two brothers, Kgosi and Ikageng Kgopane, were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kagiso Regional Court for the gang rape of a 52-year-old woman. The attack took place in December 2023, and the victim managed to escape after being assaulted and raped by the two men. The court acknowledged the severity of the crime and the lack of remorse shown by the accused in delivering the harsh sentence.
