General News of Friday, 19 November 2004

Source: Sapa

Cocaine bust at Johannesburg airport

Thirty kilograms of cocaine with a street value of R16.5 million was found in a cargo container on an aircraft from Sao Paulo at Johannesburg International Airport today. Diane Mars, a police spokesperson, said the cocaine, concealed in a piston cylinder of a car and the handle of a butcher's knife, was found during a routine inspection by the cargo drug team (CDT).

The CDT consists of members of the organised crime unit of the police, customs officials and members of the South African Police Service (SAPS). It was established in September this year, especially to concentrate on drugs hidden in cargo.

"The cocaine was destined for Ghana when it was confiscated. No arrests have yet been made and the investigation continues," Mars said. -