The Hawks have arrested five suspects, in an operation they call the first of its kind in relation to transnational drug trafficking perpetrated through the OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).
The highly coordinated operation was executed on Wednesday morning and culminated from a recent arrest of two suspects in Australia where a large consignment of drugs was confiscated.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says they received information that the two suspects arrested in Australia, are employees of various companies at ORTIA where they are said to be facilitating the thoroughfare of drugs coming into and out of the airport.
In October, two baggage handlers from Qantas Airlines were arrested for allegedly transporting 100kg of cocaine to a runway while waiting for cargo of their own which arrived on a flight from Johannesburg.
Colonel Mogale, however, could not yet confirm if the baggage handlers are linked to Wednesday's arrest.
Colonel Mogale says at ORTIA, two suspects employed by ACSA, two from Menzies Aviation and one from Swissport were arrested in Johannesburg as a result.
He says this is the first time a drug seizure made abroad was positively linked to suspects in South Africa for their complicity.
All five will appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court on Friday where they face a string of charges including drug trafficking, contravention of the Customs and Excise Act and contravention of the Civil Aviation Authority.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, applauded the joint investigation team for their concerted effort to rid the airport of unsavoury characters tarnishing the name of ORTIA and the country.
