Johannesburg - A 45-year-old Malawian man was expected to appear in the Musina Magistrate's Court on Friday for allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin with an estimated street value of R19 million into South Africa.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said Makunkha Kennedy Manda was arrested and formally charged with possession of the drugs on December 20.
He was arrested at Musina's Beitbridge border post by the police and the SA Revenue Service.
“The suspect, a bus driver of a recognised South African luxury bus service, was arrested with more than 1981 grams of heroin tablets worth around R19 million,” Mulaudzi said at the time.
“The operation began when (police) and customs officials stopped the bus from Malawi, and a search by officials as well as a sniffer dog led to the discovery of a packet with a large amount of tablets in possession of the driver.”
Mulaudzi said the tablets were tested and found to be heroin.
The package was given to the police narcotics unit for further investigation.
The man briefly appeared in court last Friday but the case was postponed. - Sapa