Huge cocaine bust at border
Yesterday morning a police officer, a SARS customs official and a taxi driver were arrested at the Lebombo Border Post for dealing in drugs.
KOMATIPOORT – Yesterday morning a police officer, a SARS customs official and a taxi driver were arrested at the Lebombo Border Post for dealing in drugs.
According to the police’s provincial spokesman, Col Leonard Hlathi, the estimated street value of the cocaine is more than R3 million.
“We were working on information that a taxi travelling from Mozambique into South Africa, was carrying drugs.
When it arrived at the Lebombo border, the driver went to the office to stamp his passport. When he returned, he found a policeman searching his taxi. It was at this stage that this officer found a package at the back of the vehicle, which was stashed inside a washing-powder bag,” explained Hlathi.
It is alleged that the officer then stopped searching the taxi and left with the package.
According to Hlathi, he called his friend who worked at SARS customs, who happened to be off duty.
“This official worked with him at the Lebombo Border Post, and it was suspicious because we don’t work like that. A policeman is supposed to have his companions search a kombi or transport. They should be in pairs, but this one went alone in this case.
“What was even more suspect was that, when he found this package, instead of handing it over to the relevant officials so that the administration could take over, he handed it to somebody who was from another department and it so happened that that person was off duty,” he said.
These actions prompted an investigation by the police.
“The short probe we conducted revealed that the drugs had been moved to the SARS official’s home.
“We searched the house, and the stories the two gave were conflicting. Therefore both officials were arrested, and the taxi driver,” added Hlathi.
All three were apprehended at the border post and transported to Komatipoort Police Station, where they would remain in police custody, and this was where the drugs were being kept.
Hlathi added, “All police officers who are involved in such acts, will be arrested. And we thank community members who come forward with valuable information.”
Furthermore, he explained that disciplinary action against the officer would begin which would determine whether he would remain part of the SAPS. This would be the decision of the provincial commissioner.
