Pretoria - A 50-year-old Mozambican man who was arrested after heroin worth more than R55 million was found stashed in his vehicle’s petrol tank at a toll gate in Mpumalanga at the weekend, was denied bail in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) confirmed that the suspect was remanded when he appeared in court on Tuesday.
Hawks spokesperson Major Robert Netshiunda said Crime Intelligence members in Komatipoort together with the White River K9 unit had obtained information about a suspicious vehicle which was alleged to have been transporting narcotics.
“The vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado with a Gauteng registration number was stopped at Nkomazi Toll gate along the N4 route near Kaapmuiden,” Netshiunda said.
“The narcotics dog led the officers to the fuel tank of the vehicle which had visible alterations and it was subsequently removed.
“When the fuel tank was opened a large concealment of white cloth packages were found. The packages contained white powder, which was upon testing was found to be heroin worth over R55 million.”
According to the Hawks the packages had stamps and inscriptions from Afghanistan. The exact origin as well as the possible destination of the drugs were being investigated.
African News Agency