Pretoria - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs officers intercepted a suspected currency smuggler in possession of 997 750 US dollars, which equates to R13 798 882, at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday, January 25.

The male passenger had a backpack in his possession at the time. During initial interactions, the officers conducted an inspection of the backpack, and in the process, the passenger confirmed that he also had one checked-in bag.

The officers then proceeded to retrieve the bag and instructed the passenger to go into the Customs search area, where he was further interviewed.

During the interview, he admitted to be in possession of foreign currency, but he attempted to downplay the amount. It was however discovered that most of the foreign currency had been concealed at the bottom of two bags.

Submitted by: SARSMedia