Pubdate: Mon, 16 Jun 2003
Source: Star, The (South Africa)
Contact:  Independent Newspapers 2003
Website: http://www.thestar.co.za/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/423
Author: Nokuthula Mdlalose

AIRPORT LOO HELPS DRUG SQUAD TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MATTER

It's a stinky job - and at Johannesburg International Airport, suspects in
drug cases are made to do it themselves.

A special state-of-the-art loo has relieved the police of having to retrieve
drug packages from all sorts of nasty places.

The new loo is the answer to drug mules' strategy of swallowing small
packages of drugs in a bid to prevent detection at airport security.

"We've been getting people swallowing packaged drugs and stashing it in
their private parts at least once a week," says Buks Stoman, deputy
commander of the SA Narcotics Bureau (Sanab).

At all major South African airports, passengers must walk through a body
scanner. If something unusual is detected inside the person's body, he or
she is detained by the police.

At Johannesburg International Airport, the police will appoint a doctor to
x-ray the suspect's body, Stoman explains.

If the suspect has something untoward in his or her body, the person will be
detained further.

Sanab officers will then make use of the special toilet installed inside the
airport building.

"Johannesburg International Airport has the only facility in the country for
retrieving drugs hidden inside a person's body," says Stoman.

The toilet room has a short sewage pipeline that leads into a steel sink.
There is disinfecting liquid on top of the sink and surgical gloves next to
it.

When nature calls, the suspect will only have one place to go - the special
lavatory.

After finishing the job and flushing the toilet, the suspect will be made to
put on gloves and search for packaged drugs in the sink.

A policeman keeps a watchful eye over the proceedings.

Constipation can prolong one's stay in the special room.

"We've had to detain someone for up to nine days to get something out of
them, because most of them take pills that stop the need to relieve
themselves," according to Stoman.

The suspect will be arrested only after he or she has expelled the hidden
drugs and handed them over to the police.

MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk