Cape Town – A South African man, who is reportedly accused of smuggling cocaine into Namibia from Brazil, made his first appearance in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Reports indicated that Michael Mpangala, 44, was arrested at Windhoek’s Hosea Kutako International Airport.
According to EWN, police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi said Mpangala was intercepted by customs officials on Sunday afternoon.
“Allegedly, as he was coming through these scanners, the officers were suspicious of things that were in his bag. So, consequently, the bags were searched and then cocaine powder was found in his luggage,” the report quoted Shikwambi as saying.
JUST IN: South African national Michael Mpangala, charged with dealing in cocaine worth more than N$5 million, appeared in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court today. Mpangala’s case was postponed to 16 January 2023 for a formal bail application, his lawyer Kadhila Amoomo confirmed. pic.twitter.com/41gNRaJvgl
— Namibian Sun (@namibiansun) January 3, 2023
The cocaine consignment weighed just over 10kg, he said.
It had an estimated street value of over R5 million.
“The suspect was allegedly coming from Brazil to deliver drugs to allegedly an unknown person in Namibia,” Shikwamba said, according to News24.
The man was also found with 224 224 Brazilian reais (about R700 000) in cash.
He was expected to appear in court for a bail application on 16 January, the report said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
