Staff Reporter
A drug consignment with an estimated street value of R998.2 million has been intercepted at the Beitbridge border post after an intelligence-driven operation flagged a truck travelling through Zimbabwe into South Africa, Home Affairs said on Thursday.
The truck was stopped on Wednesday after it was identified ahead of its arrival by the Border Management Authority’s (BMA) National Targeting Centre.
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An extensive physical search then took place, according to Home Affairs, “painstakingly dismantling the truck over more than eight hours” before finding about 713 000 grams of methaqualone, commonly known as ABBA, a substance widely used in the manufacture of mandrax.
On arrival at Beitbridge, the vehicle was subjected to a non-intrusive cargo scan using the truck scanner at the port. The scan confirmed “suspicious anomalies” and revealed a hidden compartment.
The Hawks and SAPS K9 units were later called
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