Bricks of cocaine concealed inside heavy-duty excavators at the Port of Durban, intercepted by SARS officials during a recent customs operation.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) says it has intercepted a consignment suspected to contain large quantities of cocaine concealed inside heavy-duty excavation equipment imported through the Port of Durban.
The seizure was made during a targeted Customs and Excise operation conducted in the early hours of Saturday morning as part of an intensified crackdown on illicit trade and cross-border smuggling.
According to SARS, customs officials identified the shipment for inspection after conducting risk assessments and cargo profiling on excavation machinery imported from South America.
During the operation, SARS detector dogs alerted officials to suspicious parcels hidden within two excavators. The South African Police Service (SAPS) subsequently secured the scene while authorities removed approximately 90 large bricks of a substance believed to be pure cocaine.
