SARS intercepts suspected drug consignments at Port of Durban

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The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has intercepted consignments believed to contain illicit drugs during a targeted Customs and Excise operation at the Port of Durban in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The consignments were found while officials inspected heavy-duty excavation equipment imported from South America. After a customs risk assessment and cargo profiling, SARS Customs officials stopped and examined the shipment.

SARS detector dogs alerted officials to suspicious parcels hidden inside two excavators. The South African Police Service (SAPS) secured the scene, and the parcels were then removed. SARS estimates the haul at roughly 90 large bricks of suspected pure cocaine. Preliminary testing with a SARS mobile drug detection kit points to the substance being cocaine.

The material has been seized and handed to SAPS for forensic analysis and a criminal investigation. SARS says the weight, value, origin, and intended destination will be confirmed once laboratory testing is complete.

SARS describes the interception as part of its wider effort to clamp down on illicit trade and cross-border smuggling. SARS Commissioner Dr Johnstone Makhubu said the operation reflects the agency's focus on stronger customs enforcement at ports of entry. He said intelligence-led operations allow SARS to target high-risk consignments with precision, disrupting smuggling and illicit financial flows that harm the economy and undermine compliant trade.

SARS also linked the result to its modernisation work. The agency said investments in advanced cargo profiling systems, non-intrusive inspection technology, and data-driven risk engines are helping it detect illicit goods faster and more accurately, without delaying legitimate trade.

Dr Makhubu said SARS will keep up its crackdown on illicit trade and continue to work with law enforcement to break up organised criminal networks. He thanked the Customs team and other agencies involved, calling their work commendable.

SARS encouraged importers, exporters, and logistics operators to treat compliance as essential to keeping trade secure.

Read more in the SARS Media Release here.