CAPE TOWN - An integrated operation has led to the arrest of two suspects with mandrax tablets en route to Cape Town with an estimated street value of over R4.3 million.
According to the spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau together with Crime Intelligence, Flying squad Hermanus, Dog Unit Hermanus and Provincial Traffic officials promptly responded to information about two vehicles, a Mercedes and Volkswagen (VW) Transporter travelling with batches of drugs on the N2 highway from Gauteng to Cape Town.
In the first incident, a Mercedes Benz matching the description was spotted on the N2 highway in Grabouw en route to Cape Town.
He said a joint police team pulled the vehicle over and conducted a search.
Officers discovered 24 packets of mandrax tablets totalling 24 00 tablets valued at approximately R840 000.
Nkwalase said the drugs were found hidden behind the back seat in a false compartment.
“A 35-year-old suspect was arrested and the vehicle, along with the drugs, were seized for further investigation. He is expected to appear in the Grabouw Magistrate’s Court on January 3, 2022 facing a charge of dealing in drugs,” he said.
In a second incident, a second vehicle, a VW Transporter matching a description received by officers, was spotted along the N2 highway in Heidelberg.
A total of 100 packets of mandrax, totalling 100 000 mandrax tablets were found hidden in a false makeshift compartment under the flat-bed when officers searched the vehicle.
“A 52 year-old suspect was subsequently arrested, the drugs and vehicle used in the commission of crime were seized for further investigation. He is expected to appear in the Heidelberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, January 3, 2022, to face a charge of dealing in drugs,” Nkwalase said.
Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in the Western Cape, Brigadier Mushavhaduvha Ramovha, applauded the joint policing team for their efforts.
“I also want to plead with the community to always act positively against wrongdoing by reporting all criminality to the police for investigation,” Ramovha said.
IOL