GEORGE NEWS - A 38-year-old Zambian man was arrested near Beaufort West with a large consignment of Mandrax tablets and khat with a combined estimated street value of about R1,21-million on Tuesday 5 October.
The suspect, who was en route to Cape Town from Johannesburg, was pulled over at an integrated vehicle check point near Beaufort-West at approximately 08:20.
"When pulled over, members ensued with a search of the freight and discovered a number of boxes of which 26 boxes contained khat to an estimated value of R464 800 and two additional boxes containing an amount of 15 000 Mandrax tablets with an estimated value of about R750 000," said Southern Cape police spokesperson, Capt Malcolm Pojie.
Investigation of the find has been taken over by detectives of the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation's narcotics section based in Beaufort West.
The suspect was scheduled to appear in the Beaufort West Magistrate's Court on charges of dealing in drugs, alternatively possession of drugs.
This was the second drug bust in the area this week. On Monday morning members of the provincial traffic department, deployed on the N1 near Laingsburg, pulled over a taxi travelling towards Cape Town.
"Upon routine inspection they discovered that the 'passengers' were a number of bags filled with dagga with an estimated value of about R877 100," said Pojie. The two occupants (41 and 35), from Wallacedene near Cape Town, were arrested and the find confiscated as evidence. The suspects were scheduled to appear in the Laingsburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 5 October on charges of dealing in drugs.
Boxes containing khat and Mandrax tablets.
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