The Hawks reported on Wednesday that a 60-year-old Pakistani man had been stopped in his tracks “after he allegedly tried his luck to smuggle out R10-million in cash to Dubai”.
He was arrested after a “routine search was conducted at a departure check-in point” by members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime and customs officials at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
The cash‚ in US dollars‚ was “concealed in a foil inside the suspect’s travelling luggage”‚ spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said.
The Durban-based suspect was boarding an Emirates flight to Dubai‚ Mulamu said‚ adding that he “was arrested on the spot and charged with Contravention of Sec 15(1)b of the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964 and the Contravention of Exchange Control Act”.
These state that a “traveller should have a maximum of R25 000 in South African currency or R150 000 in foreign currency while travelling abroad”.
The suspect will appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court on Thursday.