The R4.6 million in cash and high-end watches police confiscated in Claremont have been linked to a suspect currently in custody for other serious offences emanating from ongoing major investigations, police said on Monday night.
The cash was found in a concealed storeroom safely stashed in travel cases with 16 high-end watches and empty 9mm pistol cases, according police spokesperson Novela Potelwa.
She said the investigating teams had earlier arrested a 34-year-old suspect for defeating the ends of justice.
With the investigation unfolding, the suspect was also charged with possession of presumably stolen property and was to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Potelwa said the possibility of added charges cannot be ruled out as the investigation gains momentum.
Police are now trying to determine the origins of the money and items seized.
“As part of protracted investigations into organised crime and its manifestations, SAPS Western Cape teams descended on premises in an upmarket Cape Town suburb and confiscated cash to the value of R4.6 million and expensive watches over the weekend. In the house located in Claremont and linked to a suspect currently in custody for other serious offences emanating from ongoing major investigations, the cash seized was found in a concealed storeroom safely stashed in travel cases with 16 prestigious high-end watches and empty 9mm pistol cases,” said Potelwa.
Cape Times