Men of the South African Police Command have arrested a middle-aged Nigerian man (Names withheld) alongside three Zambian nationals for illegally transporting drugs worth R34 million into the country.
According to a police source who spoke with our Correspondent on Tuesday, men of the police team in Gauteng, South Africa carried out the arrests on Saturday after following up on tip-off.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Gauteng police spokeswoman Captain Pinky Tsinyane said that the police team that arrested the suspects pulled over and searched a truck and found a false compartment with the drugs that has an estimated street value of R34 million.
“The information received is that the truck was from Tanzania, it came through the Botswana Border to deliver in South Africa, Gauteng and Western Cape. The area of delivery is not known yet, investigations are continuing,” Tsinyane added.
The police chief added that the South African police would also try to track the owner of the truck and drugs, as well as determine if there were others involved in the operation.
The four suspects are expected to appear in Randfontein Magistrate Court soon on a charge of drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, Mike Waters, Shadow Minister of Social Development has urged the South African government to swing into action as a result of the recent United Nations world drug reports which claimed that the country is the key producer of Amphetamine Type Substances, such as “tik”, for the Southern Africa region.
In a press release made available to our Correspondent on Tuesday morning, Shadow Minister Mike Waters asked South African Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, to urgently ensure the reinstatement of the Narcotics Bureau, stressing that a dedicated unit must be established within the SAPS to co-ordinate an integrated response to drug related crimes.