Thanks to a collaborative, intelligence-driven operation with its counterparts in Brazil, the South African Revenue Service Sars has seized narcotics with an estimated street value of R56 million.
A Customs Marine Patrol vessel intercepted a cargo ship near the Fairway Buoy at outer anchorage, approximately four nautical miles off the east coast of Durban, and escorted it to its berth in the harbour. Customs enforcement officers boarded the vessel and located a number of containers identified prior to its arrival as posing a potential risk for smuggling.
The inspection resulted in the discovery of 25 large bricks of suspected cocaine hidden in the refrigeration units of several containers. A field drug test was conducted, and positively identified the goods as cocaine of a very high quality, suitable for further dilution and expansion into larger volumes for illicit distribution. Sars handed the contraband to the South African Police Service for further safekeeping, investigation and prosecution.