Bus driver and his assistant arrested after police find boxes of drugs in their cargo
The Welkom K9 Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) received vital intelligence from the Free State Counter Narcotics unit concerning a bus traveling on the N1 road from Gauteng to Cape Town suspected of transporting illegal drugs.
Acting swiftly on the information, SAPS members operationalized the details around 19:40, setting up a waylay near Ventersburg.
The coordinated efforts of the law enforcement officers led to the successful identification and interception of the bus in question. Following a request to search the vehicle, a significant discovery was made.
Inside the bus, authorities found 18 brown carton boxes that aroused suspicion.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the boxes contained a total of 3,880 bundles of suspected Khatedulis drug plants, concealed within damp newspaper wrappings.
The estimated street value of the seized drugs amounts to approximately R116,400.
Constables Jacobus Van Wyk, Lebohang Khuto, Khanyisa Ntoyi, and Sergeant Velaphi Mtjale from the Welkom K9 Unit played a pivotal role in the operation, ensuring the successful apprehension of the suspects involved in the illicit drug transportation scheme.
The driver, aged 40, and his assistant, aged 41, were promptly arrested on charges of possession of Khatedulis drugs.
The arrested individuals are scheduled to face legal proceedings and appear before the Ventersburg Magistrate Court on April 4th, 2024.
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