citizen who tried to bring $9.3m in cash into the country illegally, a
spokesman said on Monday.
There were suspicions that the money could be meant for arms. The
Nigerians, coming from Abuja, were not identified, according to a
report by Reuters.
The plane, a Bombardier Challenger 600, had a Nigerian flight crew on
board. It was piloted by Captain Tunde Ojongbede, according to City
Press.
Adrian Lackay, spokesperson for the SA Revenue Service, confirmed that
customs officers became suspicious when the passengers' luggage was
unloaded and put through the scanners just after 7pm. The officers
then investigated and found three suitcases full of cash.
The passengers apparently told officials they were acting on behalf of
the Nigerian intelligence service.
They provided documentation confirming they had come to South Africa
to buy weapons. It is not clear whether the Israeli passenger was an
intelligence operative or an arms dealer.
The National Conventional Arms Control Committee, which has to approve
the import and export of any weapons as well as issue permits for such
transactions, was not aware of any applications in this case.
The South African Revenue Service seized the funds at Lanseria
airport, northwest of Johannesburg, on Sept. 5, 2014. The funds are
being held at the central bank as police investigate, SARS spokeswoman
Marika Muller said.
"The passengers' luggage was searched after Customs officials detected
irregularities. The money was detained as it was
undisclosed/undeclared and above the prescribed legal limit," Muller
said in a statement.
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