Brazilian police target cartel suspected of smuggling cocaine on planes to SA

Brazilian police have targeted traffickers planning to smuggle big cocaine consignments on planes from São Paulo, Brazil, to Johannesburg, from where the drug would be redistributed to other countries.

A few days ago, Brazil’s Federal Police announced a crackdown there involving a series of coordinated searches.

The operation was at least four months in the making and indicates that some traffickers in Brazil are trying to smuggle drugs into South Africa on aircraft, while others use maritime routes, especially involving the Port of Durban.

Scout, transporter, terminal worker 

“The investigation began on June 12 of this year, when the group attempted to smuggle three bags containing approximately 160 kilograms of cocaine into the [São Paulo] airport’s restricted area,” said the Brazilian Federal Police on Thursday, 16 October. 

“The act was caught on camera, allowing the Federal Police to seize the drugs and identify the criminal organisation’s modus operandi.

“According to investigations, the group used two vehicles — one acting as a ‘scout’, responsible for monitoring the presence of police in the surrounding area, and the other transporting the drugs to the restricted area of ​​the airport,” said the Federal Police.

“There, a terminal employee, also involved in the scheme, diverted the drugs to the aircraft bound for Johannesburg, South Africa.”

“Investigations indicate that the organisation’s objective was to send cocaine to the African country, with indications that the drug would be redistributed to other nations.”

The Federal Police executed five search and seizure warrants in connection with the operation on 16 October. It was not immediately clear whether any suspects were arrested.

Headed to South Africa 

Daily Maverick recently reported on another incident involving the airport in São Paulo that was linked to South Africa.

Police were called last month after a patroller found a box abandoned near the cargo area of São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport.

The Federal Police said 55 bricks of cocaine were discovered inside the box, along with a cellphone, a power bank and a label suggesting the box was bound “for South Africa”.

Read more: Brazil cocaine traffickers again target conduit to Durban amid SA’s police scandal

These incidents point to cargo planes being used to smuggle drugs, rather than drug mules — plane passengers smuggling drugs concealed in or on their bodies.

On 12 October, three passengers were arrested when they landed in São Paulo on a flight from South Africa after they were found to be carrying nearly 100kg of cannabis and 6kg of hashish.

“Also on the same day, a Brazilian passenger who was due to board a flight to Johannesburg was arrested with more than 7kg of cocaine hidden in pillowcase packaging,” said Brazilian authorities.

Festive season

These incidents in Brazil involving the airport have happened in the run-up to the festive season when the interception of drug mules tends to increase.

Last year, between October and December, at least six suspected drug mules linked to South Africa and Brazil were detained — five were taken into custody at Gauteng’s OR Tambo International Airport and one was arrested in São Paulo.

Court action relating to last year’s arrests in South Africa has been playing out this year.

One of these incidents was in July, when a Gauteng court sentenced Pauline Mbangula, a drug mule from Namibia, to an effective five years in prison.

Mbangula was arrested in September last year after landing at OR Tambo International Airport on a flight from São Paulo.

“She was, at the time, found to have swallowed at least 68 bullet-looking packets filled with cocaine,” said the SA Police Service (SAPS). In the past year, more than 22 drug mules have been arrested by police at OR Tambo International Airport.

On Monday, 20 October, Daily Maverick asked the  SAPS if they were aware of the recent airport-related drug operations in Brazil and if officers here had plans to deal with a potential increase in trafficking via Brazil.

Read more: Brazil’s drug mule boom hits SA — multiple arrests and cocaine worth millions seized

No response was received by the time of publication.

However, Daily Maverick has established that the SAPS has flagged countering drug trafficking as part of its holiday operations.

Earlier this month, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola provided an overview of festive season safety plans.

The plans included “enhancing border security” and disrupting “illicit drug trafficking networks”.

Law enforcement scandal 

Drugs are a central theme in an unprecedented law enforcement scandal in South Africa, which began in July when KwaZulu-Natal’s police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, made a series of astounding accusations.

This included that a drug cartel headquartered in Gauteng was controlling a high-level criminal syndicate that extended into the state, including into the police and police ministry, as well as private business.

Mkhwanazi’s alleged that the cartel, known as the Big Five, brought in drugs from South America and that these consignments often entered South Africa via the Port of Durban.

These drugs were then allegedly smuggled to Gauteng for processing, as well as local and international distribution.

Two alleged Big Five cartel members have been publicly named: Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and Katiso “KT” Molefe, both based in Gauteng.

While neither faces drug-related charges, Matlala faces charges of attempted murder and money laundering, while Molefe faces conspiracy to murder ones.

Mkhwanazi’s accusations resulted in the creation of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and a parallel parliamentary ad hoc committee, which are investigating his allegations. DM