Cape Town - The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) have arrested a 40-year-old man with 20 000 mandrax tablets.
Western Cape spokesperson for the Hawks, Zinzi Hani said the suspect was arrested by members of the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau team (SANEB) based in Bellville, in collaboration with Crime Intelligence on Thursday.
The suspect, a Nigerian national was nabbed along the N1 highway.
Hani said the arrest comes after the team reacted to information received about a vehicle en route to Cape Town suspected to be carrying a consignment of drugs.
“The information was operationalised with a tactical deployment. They later pulled over the vehicle on the N1 near Goodwood prison.
“A search of the vehicle ensued and the members found 20 000 mandrax tablets concealed in a tog bag,” Hani said.
She said the drugs have an estimated street value of R800 000.
The officers also seized the vehicle, a silver Toyota, on the basis that it was allegedly used in the commission of a crime.
The suspect, who is currently detained, is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday on charges of possession of drugs.
In an unrelated incident, a former councillor from the Cederberg Municipality handed himself over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime investigation team on Thursday after failure to appear in court on August 16 on charges of fraud and corruption.
Danville Smith, 39, was charged after a lengthy investigation by the Hawks into irregularities at the municipality where Smith served as a councillor until 2016.
“Smith and his co-accused, Mr Peter Blankenberg who was the district committee member for Ward 5 in Lambert's Bay and Clanwilliam Municipality, are facing charges relating to alleged corruption that occurred during the planning of Mandela Day celebrations in Lambert's Bay on July 18, 2016.
“They are accused of pocketing R28 200 after submitting an invoice totalling R28 200 from a company and getting one of its owners to pocket R3 200 whereas the company did not render any services to the municipality,” Hani said.
Smith was released on a warning by the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Bellville.