A man has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle cigarettes and heroin into the country.
- It is alleged the suspect was trying to smuggle cigarettes and drug into South Africa from Mozambique.
- The police allegedly found illicit cigarettes and heroin with an estimated R1.5 million hidden in a makeshift compartment in the suspect’s truck.
- The discovery emanated from a routine search at the Lebombo border post in Mpumalanga.
A 51-year-old Mozambican national was arrested on Wednesday at the Lebombo border post in Mpumalanga after he was allegedly caught trying to smuggle cigarettes and heroin worth R1.5 million into the country.
According to the police, the suspect, who was in a white truck, was at the border waiting to be processed.
Police officers and customs officials conducted a routine search and discovered a makeshift compartment in the truck’s engine “stashed with suspected drugs as well as illicit cigarettes”, police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday, facing charges of possession of drugs and illicit cigarettes.
Probe
“A preliminary probe suggests that the driver was planning to smuggle the drugs as well as the illicit cigarettes from Mozambique into the country before being intercepted by the said diligent formations.
“A similar incident occurred last month… when a man and a woman were arrested for also attempting to smuggle drugs from Mozambique into the country using a similar method but they were swiftly arrested.”
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Hlathi said the arrest of the truck driver once again proved law enforcement agencies were hard at work trying to address all crimes in general while also enforcing lockdown regulations.
“There has been good reports coming from the border line where the South African Defence Force in particular, have been very instrumental in the confiscation of large amounts of liquor and illicit cigarettes as well as the arrest of a considerable number of suspects thus far.”
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma issued a stern warning to anyone thinking or planning on smuggling drugs as well as illicit cigarettes “that law enforcement agencies are hard at work and will ensure that no illegal goods go through our borders”.
“I would also like to appreciate the work done by the members that resulted in the arrest of this man and others in previous incidents, their work does not go unnoticed,” Zuma said.
