A German narcotics merchant, wanted by INTERPOL, was successfully captured at OR Tambo International Airport, earlier this month.
Story Summary:
- A German man, wanted by INTERPOL, was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport
- A new strategic partnership between South Africa’s Border Management Authority and INTERPOL was vital in the capture.
- The suspect has been on the run for eight years.
German drug lord arrested at OR Tambo Int’l Airport: Here’s what we know
In a statement, the Border Management Authority (BMA) lauded the stellar work of its officials, who played an instrumental role in ending an eight-year trace operation, which, for the most part, saw the suspect evade capture using multiple identities.
According to authorities, the suspect, whose identity has yet to be uncovered, used fraudulent means to board a flight from South Africa to Turkey sometime last week.
However, his plan started to unravel when Turkish authorities denied him entry after discovering he was travelling with a fake Israeli passport.
Failing to look deeper into the suspect’s background, Turkish officials followed normal protocols and returned the man to OR Tambo International Airport, on Friday, 8 November 2024.
When he arrived in Johannesburg, the man was taken in for questioning, where he insisted he was an Israeli national, despite BMA authorities picking up a strong German accent.
“The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) was contacted and confirmed through the Embassy that the traveller was not an Israeli national,” the BMA explained.
As part of a new memorandum of understanding signed between the BMA and INTERPOL, South Africa’s border authorities are obliged to contact their international counterparts for further checks on persons of interest, and low and behold, “the suspect was found to be on the red list of the most wanted and had evaded arrest for drug trafficking for the past eight years.”
“The suspect was also found to have an international warrant of arrest and had been living in Malawi under a new identity and in possession of a Malawian temporary residence,” the BMA noted.
For eight years, the suspect used fake German and Israeli passports to move around the continent, evading INTERPOL’s hot trail by hiding in plain sight.
Moreover, there are reasons to believe the man’s Israeli identity was stolen. It’s just unclear, at this time, if the person whose identity was stolen is still alive.
“Interpol immediately arrested the suspect, and he is still in custody awaiting extradition to Germany,” the BMA revealed.
