LOOK: Motorists flee on foot, abandoning vehicles worth R2 million, during drug bust
When Limpopo police pounced, motorists fled on foot, leaving behind a white Toyota Hilux worth R700,000; a Toyota Fortuner worth R600,000; a Toyota Land Cruiser worth R1,200,000 and a white Hyundai ix35 worth R300,000 - which were loaded with bags of dagga.
Image: SAPS
Police in Limpopo have seized four vehicles, worth over R2 million, which were used to transport a consignment of dagga from Mpumalanga.
Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the dagga worth R580,000 was found at Ga-Magongwa Village on Tuesday.
“It is reported that the police received leads about three vehicles transporting dagga, and the operation was activated. Three vehicles were spotted driving at high speed along the N11 road. The vehicles were tracked until they entered an unoccupied home building at Ga-Magongwa Village,” said Ledwaba.
Immediately, a fourth vehicle also arrived on the scene.
When the suspects noticed a police-marked vehicle, they fled the scene on foot to evade arrest.
“Upon inspecting the premises and the yard, four vehicles were discovered, and three of them were loaded with 29 bags of dagga weighing approximately 40 to 50 kilogrammes; a white Toyota Hilux worth R700 000.00; a dark grey Toyota Fortuner worth R600,000; a gold Toyota Land Cruiser worth R1,200,000, and a white Hyundai ix35 worth R300,000,” said Ledwaba.
According to police reports, the vehicles had traveled on the N11 from Mpumalanga to Mokopane with a large consignment of dagga.
Provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the recovery of dagga and the motor vehicles.
Police have registered an inquiry docket of possession and dealing with drugs, and they urged anyone with information that can assist with the investigations to contact Detective Commander Lieutenant Colonel Annelie Rossouw on 082 565 8505, Crime Stop number 08600 10111, the nearest police station, or share information on My SAPS App.
When Limpopo police pounced, motorists fled on foot, leaving behind a white Toyota Hilux worth R700,000; a Toyota Fortuner worth R600,000; a Toyota Land Cruiser worth R1,200,000 and a white Hyundai ix35 worth R300,000 - which were loaded with bags of dagga.
Image: SAPS
In February, IOL reported that in a significant move against drug trafficking, members of the Hawks in Mpumalanga successfully secured a forfeiture order against a vehicle valued at R270,000, which was implicated in the transportation of drugs.
This decisive action follows a seizure made in March 2018, when police discovered 30 rolls of heroin, weighing a total of 56 kilogrammes, hidden in a false compartment beneath the vehicle.
Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, spokesperson for the Hawks, stated that the discovery occurred shortly after the vehicle had passed through the Nkomazi Toll Plaza in Kaapmuiden, en route to Nelspruit.
Nkosi said the operation was initiated based on tip-off information from a whistleblower, leading to the arrest of two suspects, a Malawian national and a South African citizen.
IOL News