Drug bust at OR Tambo International Airport

 
 

R200 m worth of cocaine seized at OR Tambo Internation

Huge drug bust at airport

CRIME SCENE: OR Tambo International Airport, Gauteng: The South African Police Service (SAPS) have confiscated a huge amount of cocaine here.

On Tuesday, 25 August 2026, South African Police Service (SAPS) members attached to OR Tambo International and other law enforcement authorities, including Customs officials, intercepted two separate consignments of cocaine.

In the first incident, two large travel suitcases were intercepted at the airport terminal. The suitcases contained blocks of suspected cocaine weighing approximately 84 kilograms.

In a separate interception at the cargo section, four boxes containing approximately 250 kilograms of suspected cocaine, packed into 220 blocks, were seized.

The combined estimated street value of the seized cocaine is more than R200 million.

No arrests have been made at this stage. Investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for the importation and distribution of the drugs.

The Acting National Commissioner of SAPS, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, has commended the multidisciplinary team for its vigilance and continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking through the country’s major international entry points.

“These successes send a strong message that we will not allow South Africa to be used as a transit point or market for illicit drugs. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to detect, intercept and dismantle drug trafficking networks,” said Dimpane.