Drug trafficker from Brazil sentenced after she was caught red-handed at Cape Town International Airport attempting to smuggle 104 cocaine bullets.
Image: File
A drug trafficker named Laura Adriana Nogueira de Jesus has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment with five years suspended after she was caught red-handed at Cape Town International Airport attempting to smuggle 104 cocaine bullets.
Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani of the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, The Hawks said the 33-year-old woman from Brazil had been intercepted after the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), the Border Management Authority and Custom Officials received a tip-off.
Hani said de Jesus had entered into a plea agreement with the state.
“Laura Adriana Nogueira de Jesus (33) was sentenced by the Bellville Regional Court on a charge of Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act after entering into a plea agreement with the State on June 24 2026,” she explained.
“The accused was sentenced to ten (10) years imprisonment of which five (5) years is suspended.
“The sentence comes after her arrest at Cape Town International Airport in July 2025, for possession of drugs. This was a result of an operation coordinated by the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), the Border Management Authority and Custom Officials.”
De Jesus was travelling from Brazil to Cape Town when she was nabbed.
“The arrest followed a tip off about a female passenger travelling from Brazil to Cape Town, suspected of drug smuggling. Upon her arrival, she was intercepted and searched, leading to the discovery of 104 cocaine bullets with an estimated street value of R344, 000,” Hani detailed.
“She has been in custody since her arrest in July 2025.
“Effectively, she will serve five years of direct imprisonment.”