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Three suspected smugglers are expected to appear in Kempton Park Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of precious metal trafficking after gold weighing 73.5 kg was found in their carry-on luggage at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
The police estimated the gold to have a street value of 61 million rand.
A multidisciplinary team consisting of police officers, customs officials, port health and home affairs officials swooped down on the trio at the international arrivals terminal last week.
They had come to South Africa from Madagascar and were on their way to Dubai via Ethiopia when they were arrested.
“After questioning the suspects and conducting a more thorough inspection of their carry-on luggage, officials discovered the gold bars and foreign currency,” police said.
The gold bars and foreign currency were seized for further investigation under customs and excise law and exchange control regulations.
The Hawks, Interpol and authorities in different countries are investigating the legitimacy of the certification documents provided by the men and are determining the country of origin where the gold was mined.
TimesLIVE
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