JOHANNESBURG: Counterfeit goods and drugs with a combined value of over R10,29 million were seized at OR Tambo International airport on Saturday and Sunday, officials said.
Customs officials opened various consignments from Hong Kong destined for different suburbs in Gauteng when the illicit goods were discovered, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Cell phones, sneakers, shirts, tracksuit tops and other high-quality label goods were discovered at various airline cargo sheds.
Clothes from a leading fashion brand weighing 775kgs were discovered in one consignment with an estimated value of R3 240 000.
In a separate incident, a SARS detector dog unit intercepted a female passenger from Sao Paolo in possession of 6.945 kg cocaine worth R1 998 000.
The sniffer dog responded to her luggage where several packages labelled ‘Brazilian coffee’ was found. Upon closer inspection, the bags of coffee tested positive for cocaine.
The traveller, en route to Maputo, Mozambique, has been handed over to the police, SARS said.
