A 52-year-old South African man has been arrested at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport after allegedly arriving from Ghana with heroin worth more than $122,000. Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), supported by the Border Management Authority, intercepted the man in an intelligence-led operation after he arrived on a flight from Accra.
A search of his luggage allegedly uncovered bullet-shaped objects and blocks containing substances suspected to be heroin. The seizure is the latest in a series of drug-related arrests at the airport, with police saying it is the third suspected drug mule to be arrested at OR Tambo in the past three weeks.
The suspect is expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court later this week on drug trafficking charges. Police said investigations were continuing to establish whether the suspect was linked to organised crime networks.
SAPS said the operation formed part of efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks through intelligence-led policing and targeted enforcement at ports of entry. The case comes amid increased scrutiny of drug trafficking routes involving Ghana and South Africa, with authorities in both countries facing pressure to strengthen controls at international airports and other points of entry.
In Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama has given an inter-agency task force two weeks to draw up measures to stop the trafficking of narcotic drugs through Ghana's borders. The task force is expected to review the country's existing systems for detecting drug trafficking and submit a detailed roadmap to the President within the period.
The directive followed an urgent meeting between President Mahama and the country's security chiefs on Thursday, 17 September 2026, to review investigations into recent narcotics trafficking cases involving Ghana's ports. A statement issued by the Presidency said the meeting reviewed existing security structures and systems and recommended additional measures to improve the detection and prevention of drug trafficking.
The directive comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of Ghana's ports following the seizure of a nearly 3.9 tonne cocaine consignment by French customs at the port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026. The cocaine, estimated by the French authorities at about €225 million, was concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana.
Key points
- The suspect is expected to appear in court on drug trafficking charges.
- President Mahama has given a task force two weeks to draw up measures to stop drug trafficking through Ghana's borders.
- The seizure is part of a series of drug-related arrests at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport.
