A concerted effort led by the Hawks has led to the arrest of three suspects who were caught transporting R90 million worth of heroin powder to KwaZulu-Natal.
It’s stated in reports that the seismic drug bust was an intelligence operation driven by the Hawks, in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Crime Intelligence, as well as the Richards Bay Serious Organised Investigation unit.
Hawks intercept truck carrying R90m heroin
Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo revealed that the truck was observed from when it was dispatched in an undisclosed location in neighbouring Mozambique.
It made its way past Swaziland and entered South Africa via Mpumalanga. Its destination? KZN. However, the task team could not let it get to the coastal province.
Therefore, a plan was hatched to intercept the truck in Hluhluwe, a small town situated along the border of Mpumalanga and KZN.
“The Hawks in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Crime Intelligence discovered 342.5kg of the drug inside what is believed to be a purpose-built hide in a truck which was coming from Mozambique via Swaziland to KwaZulu-Natal,” Captain Mhlongo noted in a statement.
The dead giveaway was the fresh paint that covered a false partition found in the truck. Inside, almost 250 packets of pure heroin powder were found.
The consignment was evaluated and is estimated to be worth R87.5 million in the illicit drug trade.
Drug-bust hurts KZN’s illicit drug trade
Captain Mhlongo confirmed that three suspects, the truck driver and two passengers, were immediately cuffed and booted to a nearby police station for processing.
Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has applauded the perfectly executed sting operation. However, the threat of the drugs reaching the hands of dealers in the future was not lost on the General.
“It is worrisome to imagine as to how many lives were going to be wasted through addiction and crime triggered by the use of these hardcore dependence producing substances,” he said.
The suspects are expected to appear in court soon.