POLOKWANE – The Limpopo police have made another breakthrough in their fight to combat the illegal smuggling of vehicles across the border.
A 49-year-old man was arrested on Sunday morning (March 17) during a meticulously coordinated operation where he was intercepted on the R101 outside Polokwane.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the suspect was driving a Ford Raptor en route to the Beitbridge Border Post where the vehicle would be smuggled out of the country.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the vehicle was hijacked on Friday (March 15) in Pretoria,” he said.
Ledwaba added that the suspect faces a similar charge and will appear before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court today (March 19) after he was released on bail.
“The suspect will then appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of possession of suspected stolen property which was opened at the Westenburg Police Station,” he said.
Last week, a 39-year-old man was arrested on the N1 outside Polokwane for also driving a stolen vehicle meant for smuggling across the border.
Read more: Cross-border smuggling suspect arrested near Polokwane
At the time, Ledwaba confirmed that the suspect was also facing a similar charge after he was recently caught trying to smuggle a stolen motor vehicle into Mozambique through the Lembobo Border Post.
