(IMAGE IS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES)
A Hout Bay woman’s quick thinking helped authorities uncover a suspected drug shipment worth more than R10 million after she witnessed bags of Mandrax tablets fall from a truck travelling along Hout Bay Main Road.
The woman, who was driving her Toyota Fortuner, alerted emergency services after noticing what appeared to be drugs beneath the truck’s covering. Her call helped bring the vehicle to the attention of the Hawks, who later arrested three suspects.
According to News24, the woman initially thought the bags might contain sweets similar to those her children ate, as the truck moved unusually slowly along the road.
She hooted at the driver, who signalled that she could overtake. However, as she began passing the truck, three bags fell onto the road, prompting both vehicles to stop.
The covering over the load lifted slightly, revealing what appeared to be drugs. A passenger reportedly jumped out, retrieved the bags and pushed them back beneath the covering.
When the passenger looked at her, the woman shook her head in disapproval. He allegedly placed a finger to his lips, seemingly signalling that she should remain silent.
Instead, she contacted several emergency services, including 10111, 107, 112 and the City of Cape Town’s emergency number, 021 480 7700. She then provided details of what she had witnessed, including the vehicle’s registration number.
About two hours later, the woman spotted the truck stopped near the BP on the main road, surrounded by officers. She said she saw the same passenger in handcuffs and officers photographing suspected drugs laid out on the ground.
The woman said that she only began to understand the seriousness of the situation when she saw more tablets wrapped in transparent packets.
She said: ‘I have now learnt that it was the Hawks that swooped in and apprehended the vehicle.’
She also described the response as exceptionally fast, adding that it was unsettling to know that large quantities of illegal drugs were circulating in the area.
Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani confirmed that the Hawks received information about the drugs and the vehicle and ‘followed up as soon as the information was received’.
According to Hani, an intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau resulted in three suspects, aged between 41 and 60, being arrested.
Two vehicles were stopped and searched during the operation, with officers seizing 172 000 Mandrax tablets, valued at more than R10 million, from a concealed compartment.
The suspects are expected to make their first appearance in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 12 October.
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