Police members.(Roger Sedres/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
- It took police only two hours to recover booze worth R1.4 million which was on a hijacked truck.
- The truck transporting R1.5 million worth of alcohol was hijacked by four men in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
- The suspects were still at large, while the truck, the driver and his crew were found unharmed.
Swift action by police led to the recovery of stolen alcohol worth an estimated R1.4 million – two hours after the liquor truck it was in, was hijacked.
The recovery came after the liquor truck was hijacked in Port Elizabeth on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the hijacked truck was also recovered.
Most of the stolen liquor was recovered at a warehouse in Marine Drive near Schoenmakerskop.
About R100 000 worth of alcohol was missing.
“It is alleged that on Thursday, at about 07:00, a truck loaded with liquor to the value of over R1.5 million, was on its way to deliver liquor to retailers when the driver, 44, and his crew were hijacked by four males along Grahamstown Road in Port Elizabeth.
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“The suspects emerged from a blue VW Polo and approached the truck which had to slow down because the VW Polo was driving very slowly in front of it. Two suspects entered the truck and forced the driver and his crew to stop.
“The truck was driven to Paterson Road and then to an unknown place where the liquor was offloaded,” said Naidu.
Naidu said the truck driver and his crew were dropped off along Victoria Drive in Walmer.
“The driver’s two cellphones were also taken during the hijacking. At about 09:45, Port Elizabeth K9 unit members recovered the truck and the victims. After further investigation at about 11:00, K9 unit members assisted by a tracking company recovered the stolen liquor at a warehouse in Marine Drive near Schoenmakerskop.
“Some of the liquor was already removed from the warehouse. About 652 sealed cases of various types of liquor and 46 loose bottles, as well as three pressure trolley jacks were recovered. The total value of the recovered alcohol is about R1.4 million,” Naidu said.
Members of the Eastern Cape organised crime unit were investigating a case of truck hijacking.
