Johannesburg – Kaapmuiden SAPS made a major drug bust of 58 plastic bags containing 53 kg of crystal meth, worth about R53 million in street value, during a stop and search operation by the police.
They were partnered by the Komatipoort K9, with two suspects arrested at Nkomazi Toll Plaza.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said: “The recovery led to the arrest of two suspects, Reginald Francisco De Maura Tomàs, 32, and Reginaldo Joào Tomàs, 30, on Tuesday 17 January 2023 at about 10am.”
Mohlala added: “It took a blink of an eye for the police dog to respond to the drugs which were concealed in different compartments of their South African registered vehicle with Gauteng registration plates.”
Preliminary investigations into the case indicated that the vehicle hadn’t been reported stolen.
Both suspects appeared at the Barberton Magistrate's Court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody for the second court appearance in Low's Creek Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, applauded members for their outstanding work and indicated that at no stage would Mpumalanga be used as a smooth passage for drug traffickers.
IOL