Johannesburg – Five employees of companies that operate at the OR International Airport have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking.
Two of the arrested employees work for the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA).
Commenting on the arrests, ACSA on Thursday said: “A special joint operation between the elite Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation, also known as the Hawks, resulted in the identification and apprehension of five individuals suspected of drug trafficking”.
Jabulani Khambule, the Regional General Manager for ACSA’s airport cluster which includes OR Tambo International Airport, lauded the company and the Hawks for the arrests.
“ACSA and the South African Police Service (SAPS) are dedicated to making our national key points, which include our airport network, safe for all our passengers,” said Khambule.
“We have raised our level of alertness, particularly as we head towards the festive season which is typically accompanied by an increase in the level of illicit trade.”
The arrests were linked to a consignment of drugs that was seized in Australia recently, making this the first operation of its kind concerning transnational drug trafficking perpetrated through OR Tambo International Airport, where a drug seizure made abroad was positively linked to suspects in South Africa for their complicity.
The matter is now in the hands of SAPS who are conducting further investigations.
All five suspects will appear in court on Friday, (17 November 2023).
