Police in South Africa say a 52-year-old man arriving from Accra was found with substances suspected to be heroin valued at more than GH¢1.4 million.
A 52-year-old South African man has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after arriving on a flight from Accra with substances police suspect to be heroin.
The South African Police Service (SAPS), the country's national police force, says the drugs are worth more than R2 million. That works out to over GH¢1.4 million, or about $120,000.
How the arrest happened
Adom Online reports that the arrest took place on Sunday, September 20, 2026, during what SAPS described as an intelligence-led operation. Officers were supported by the Border Management Authority (BMA), the South African agency responsible for policing the country's ports of entry.
Police say the man was stopped shortly after landing from Accra. A search of his luggage turned up bullet-shaped objects and blocks containing the suspected heroin.
He is due to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates' Court later this week on charges linked to drug trafficking. Kempton Park is the town closest to OR Tambo, and its court handles most airport-related cases.
Third arrest in three weeks
According to SAPS, this is the third suspected drug courier picked up at OR Tambo in the past three weeks. Couriers who carry drugs on commercial flights for organised groups are commonly referred to as "mules".
Investigators say they are still working to establish where the drugs came from and whether the suspect is linked to a bigger trafficking network. SAPS has said it intends to keep running targeted operations aimed at breaking up syndicates and blocking illicit drugs from moving through South Africa's entry points.
No Ghanaian agency has been named in connection with the case, and the source report does not say whether Accra's Kotoka International Airport authorities were involved in any screening of the passenger before departure.
Why this matters for Ghanaians
For readers at home and in the United States, arrests of this kind matter beyond the individual case. Accra is a major hub for flights across Africa and onward to Europe and North America, and every reported seizure involving a flight out of Ghana feeds into how the country's aviation route is viewed by foreign border agencies.
Passengers travelling out of Accra already face repeat luggage checks on many routes. Cases like this one typically lead to tighter screening, longer questioning and closer attention to travellers on the same route, whether or not they have any connection to the incident.
At this stage the substances have only been described as suspected heroin. Confirmation would normally come from laboratory testing, and the man has not been convicted of any offence. The case is expected to move forward when he appears in court.
