Parolee found with R9m worth of mandrax in the boot of his car

A 52-year-old parolee was arrested after being caught with about R9 million worth of mandrax in the boot of his car on Wednesday.

Themba Mbatha was caught on the N4 freeway near Witbank in Mpumalanga for allegedly smuggling 10 bags of mandrax out of the country.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said Mbatha was arrested by members of the Witbank Flying Squad.

It is alleged that Mbatha told police he was transporting the mandrax out of the country to Mozambique.

“During the investigation, it was found that the suspect was a parolee. He was previously arrested in 1997 for various cases, including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances during a cash-in-transit heist, two counts of attempted murder as well as the possession of a firearm without a licence and ammunition.

“Mbatha was sentenced to life imprisonment by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. He was released on parole in 2018 and was due to complete his sentence on 28 February 2021,” said Hlathi.

Mbatha will appear again in the Witbank Magistrate’s Court on 12 March.

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