Johannesburg - A 37-year-old man arrested for being in possession of R12 million worth of drugs, seized along the N12 in Springs, Gauteng, on Wednesday during a multi-disciplinary operation.
The operation was led by the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) consisting of organised crime police officers in Mozambique, Tanzania, and South Africa. The TPC was initially created to work against the influx of heroine in Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The TPC group consists of members from the three different countries and serves the purpose of disrupting organised crime networks that are operating on the maritime western coast and the Indian Ocean.
The man arrested had been followed after a tip-off was given to the TPC that the suspect was travelling from Mozambique in a white Ford Ranger that was transporting heroine and methamphetamine.
The arrest was made possible through the efforts of a team consisting of the TPC, the SAPS Head Office Organised Crime Investigations Narcotics Detectives, Head Office Intelligence Collection Counter Narcotics and the K9 West Rand have kept close watch along this route.
The vehicle described in the tip-off was spotted and stopped at about 2.30pm on Tuesday. Drugs, that were sealed in plastic, were discovered – hidden in a compartment of the vehicle – with assistance from the k9 Narcotics dogs, following a full search of the vehicle, which then led to the arrest of the 37-year-old man who was driving the car.
The drugs that were found, and the vehicle, were seized. The suspect is expected to appear at the Springs Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, on a charge of dealing in drugs.
Members of the public are urged to report crime to the Crime Stop Hotline number on 08600 10111 or to download the MySAPS app on any Smart Phone, and all Information will be treated with confidentiality.
IOL