This is the airport’s second largest currency bust this year.
SARS Customs officers became suspicious when five suitcases scheduled for loading at the departing Emirates flight to Dubai were being removed from the international arrivals hall.
Upon investigation, it was established the owner of the suitcases was not processed to depart by Immigration due to a problem with his passport thus resulting in him and his suitcases (five) being pulled off the flight. Thus SARS Customs officials directed the luggage for a search.
The suitcases were very heavy which made the officers suspicious of the contents. The first suitcase was searched and envelopes packed with South African bank notes were found. The other suitcases were then scanned and the images of four suitcases were consistent with the suitcase found with money. One suitcase was found to contain personal effects. The search revealed the four suitcases to be full of envelopes packed with South African bank notes with a total of R7 909 200.00 in the suitcases.
The passenger was handed over to SAPS for possible criminal prosecution.
Cape woman found with R 900 000 cocaine in chocolate containers
In another incident, SARS Customs officials busted a South African woman in possession of 3kg cocaine worth R 900 000 at the Cape Town International Airport yesterday (Tuesday) at 5.02pm.
The incident happened when a customs official inspected the hand luggage of a woman with chocolate containers in her bag.
This was the second cocaine chocolate box bust in Cape Town following the arrest of another woman with drugs worth R1.1-million on Monday, 1 May.
The chocolate containers were then opened when the woman failed to produce a receipt or proof of purchase. It turned out that they were filled with 147 bullets of unknown white substance that tests confirmed to be cocaine.
The woman and narcotics were handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation and she is expected to appear in Bellville Magistrate court on Friday, 6 May 2016.
