Hawks Secure Forfeiture of Drug-Trafficking Vehicle in Mpumalanga

The Hawks in Mpumalanga have secured a forfeiture order against a vehicle worth R270,000, which was used to transport drugs. The order follows a 2018 bust in which police seized 56 kg of heroin hidden in a false compartment beneath the vehicle.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said the vehicle was intercepted shortly after passing through the Nkomazi Toll Plaza in Kaapmuiden while en route to Nelspruit. The operation was launched following a tip-off, leading to the arrest of a Malawian national and a South African citizen.

Both suspects were granted bail during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Malawian national later fled, prompting the withdrawal of charges against the South African suspect until the fugitive is re-arrested.

Nkosi revealed that the vehicle was registered under a false address, making it impossible to trace its actual owner.

Major General Nico Gerber, head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, praised the swift police response and the whistleblower’s role in the case. “We are pleased that the suspects have lost their tool of trade. Criminals cannot profit from crime,” he said.

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