South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs officials have prevented over R6 million worth of undeclared foreign currency from exiting South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) this week, SARS said on Sunday.
Customs Officials at ORTIA intercepted two passengers travelling to Dubai as they were about to board their flight on Thursday, SARS acting spokesman Sicelo Mkosi said.
“Upon inspection of their checked luggage, brown envelopes containing US dollars in their various denominations were found inside.
“The currency was counted in their presence and totalled USD568,480, with an estimated value of R6,7 million. The money was detained by customs and both passengers were escorted to the ORTIA police station where a criminal case was registered for failure to declare as well as currency smuggling,” Mkosi said.
