JOHANNESBURG - COCAINE BUST AT OR TAMBO AIRPORT WORTH MORE THAN R78 MILLION

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs officials have confiscated 271 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of R78 million at the ORTambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

In a statement released by SARS Customs on Saturday afternoon, officials say this marks the biggest ever cocaine bust by Customs officials in South Africa.

It says, "The narcotics, en route from Sao Paulo to Nairobi, Kenya, was found in a cargo warehouse during routine operations."

"The specific shipment indicated as “cosmetics” on official documentation, was identified for closer inspection through Customs profiling techniques."

The statement further says, "A physical inspection was conducted after narcotic detector dogs reacted positively to the cargo. Officials found hair products packed in boxes. A drug test on a number of randomly selected containers all gave an immediate positive reaction to cocaine."

Police are now conducting further investigations.

VIA - sabc