Pretoria, Tuesday 25 April 2016 – SARS Customs made a significant seizure of counterfeit goods and drugs with a combined weight of 1 998kg at OR Tambo International Airport over the weekend.

With an estimated value of more than R8.3 million, the goods were uncovered during raids of various cargo sheds at the airport. Customs officials opened various consignments from Hong Kong destined to different suburban addresses in Gauteng.

Cell phones, sneakers, shirts, tracksuit tops and high quality label goods weighing 1 991kgs were discovered in three separate incidents at various airline cargo sheds. These included thirteen consignments of a leading fashion brand weighing 775kg estimated at R3 240 000.

In another incident over the weekend the Customs detector dog unit intercepted a female passenger from Sao Paolo in possession of 6.945kg of cocaine worth R1 998 000 in her luggage. The bag contained several packages labelled ‘Brazilian coffee.’ Upon closer inspection, some packages were filled with a substance that tested positively for cocaine after a detector dog reacted positively to it.

The traveller, enroute to Maputo, Mozambique, has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS).