Three Arrested in Hluhluwe Smuggling R87-Million Heroin

National Hawks head Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya welcomed the arrested of three suspects found transporting heroin worth R87.5 million in Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on Wednesday.

In a statement, officers from the Richards Bay Serious Organised Investigation, in collaboration with their Mpumalanga Crime Intelligence counterparts, said they discovered the 342.5kg consignment when they intercepted a truck.

The powder was inside what they believed to be a purpose built hide-in a truck, which was coming from Mozambique via Swaziland to KwaZulu-Natal, according to the statement.

“The truck was intercepted in Hluhluwe and the team immediately started with the search. Almost 250 packets of heroin were found hidden in a false partition, which was newly painted. Members had to cut open the compartment in order to access the drugs,” said the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal.

The driver and two passengers were immediately placed under arrest. They will appear in court soon, said SAPS.

Welcoming the arrests, Lebeya said arrest and seizure of the drugs, which would have generated a hefty amount of profit for criminals who are involved in the drug supply.

“It is worrisome to imagine how many lives were going to be wasted through addiction and crime triggered by the use of these hard core dependence producing substances,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za