The war against hard drugs is something governments around the war have been waging for as long as one can remember. And there appears to be no end in sight as drug lords devise new ways to beat the authorities and take their stuff to the ends of the earth.
One such attempt ended disgracefully at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on Sunday, as customs officials arrested a South African named Michael Mpangela, 44, for smuggling cocaine into Namibia from Brazil.
According to customs officials, operatives scanned his luggage at the airport and it was found to contain 10kg of cocaine, which has a street value of about R5 million. He was a courier bringing the drug to someone else (still unnamed) in Namibia.
Apart from the drug, about 224 224 Brazilian reais (about R700 000) in cash was also found on him, according to the authorities.
The suspect appeared in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and was taken back into customs. He is expected back in court on January 16 for his bail application.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a South African has been arrested for a similar drug offence at the same airport. A similar incident was recorded in early February.
