Drug smuggling and border control at Johannesburg International Airport and Durban Harbour

The paper examines efforts to detect and combat the smuggling of drugs through Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) and Durban Harbour.

The paper examines efforts to detect and combat the smuggling of drugs through Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) and Durban Harbour. The extent and nature of the illicit cross-border drug trade is examined. We then describe the state of border control at JIA and Durban Harbour with particular reference to anti-narcotics activity. We suggest that, if further resources are to be invested in efforts to curb the illegal movement of drugs through South African air and sea ports of entry, it ought to focus on improving monitoring, compliance and intelligence in the transport supply chain behind the border line. In the absence of this investment, risk profiling at the border line itself is not as efficient and effective as it might be.

About the author

Jonny Steinberg is a freelance journalist and researcher. His work in the fields of crime and criminal justice includes two books, Midlands (2002) and The Number (2004), an edited collection of essays, Crime Wave (2001), and several monographs and papers. He has worked as a senior consultant at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in Johannesburg, and as a senior writer at Business Day. He has an MA in political studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and a doctorate in politics from Oxford University.