Police have arrested a 57-year-old man from Harrismith who was driving a Opel Corsa bakkie found with 60,000 mandrax tablets worth R3 million on the N1 near Beaufort West on Tuesday.
The Central Karoo K9 Unit, Crime Intelligence, and the Rural Flying Squad were doing crime patrols along the highway at around 5:50pm on Tuesday when they spotted a suspicious Opel Corsa bakkie.
When the vehicle was pulled over and searched, police noticed that the door panels had been tampered with.
"Sixty-thousand mandrax tablets were found hidden in packets inside the door panels," Southern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Christopher Spies said.
Spies further added that preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs were destined for delivery in the Cape Metropole.
"A 57-year-old suspect from Harrismith in the Free State will appear in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on charges of dealing in drugs," Spies said.
Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, applauded the members for their vigilance and commitment to eradicate drug trafficking.
"It remains a priority for police to rid communities of drugs which threatens the safety of the most vulnerable in society, especially women and children. The confiscation of this consignment and the arrest forms part of concerted efforts of police to eradicate trafficking along highways, byways, and secondary roads. We have sharpened our deployment and it is already bearing fruit," Patekile added.
IOL