Suspect arrested after cocaine worth over R30m found in container

A 37-year-old suspect has been arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) (the Hawks) after cocaine worth over R30.4 million was seized.

Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) acted swiftly on information and intercepted a truck which was en-route to Cape Town carrying a container loaded with cocaine worth over R30.4 million.

Nkwalase said the truck was intercepted at a petrol station on the N1 in the early hours of Sunday. Following a search, members of the Hawks managed to seize a total of 38 packages of cocaine weighing 1kg each, he added.

“A 37-year-old suspect was arrested and the truck was also seized.

“Preliminary investigations have established that the container came from abroad and transited through different provinces before making its way to Cape Town,” Nkwalase said.

Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has applauded the team for the arrest and for seizing the drugs.

“This haul and many others that have been recently confiscated shows that the supply chains of organised criminal groups have been severed. May I also call upon the community not to support organised criminal groups by purchasing drugs as this demand will encourage the syndicates to find new ways of providing these dangerous substances,” Lebeya said.

Nkwalase said the suspect was expected to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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