On Tuesday law enforcement agencies intercepted narcotics consignments at OR Tambo International Airport. OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airports recorded 117 narcotics-smuggling cases during the period 2023/2024 to 2025/2026.
South Africa’s major international airports serve as prime targets for criminal syndicates, which exploit established operational networks to mask illicit activities and identify exploitable human vulnerabilities within security chains.
This as the country's major international airports and associated air-cargo facilities have been flagged as strategic organised crime priority areas with dozens of narcotics-smuggling cases emanating from the country's ports of entry.
Details of high risk crimes emerged following parliamentary inquiries by DA MP Lisa-Maré Schickerling to Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia. Schickerling sought clarification on whether the SAPS views airports and air-cargo facilities as national security risks, what specific countermeasures were in place, whether specialised multidisciplinary task teams are addressing these threats, and what measurable results these interventions have yielded.
Last week, law enforcement authorities including Customs officials, intercepted two cocaine consignments at OR Tambo International Airport, involving 84kg found in luggage and 250kg (220 blocks) in cargo. SAPS said the combined estimated street value exceeded R200 million, with investigations into the source and distribution network ongoing.
