Western Cape police say they seized Mandrax tablets and cocaine with an estimated street value of R5.85 million during an operation on the N1 near Beaufort West.
The seizure followed an intelligence-led operation carried out at about 22:40 on Thursday, 10 September, by members of Organised Crime Investigations, Crime Intelligence and Beaufort West police.
According to SAPS, officers intercepted a vehicle on the national road and found 57,000 Mandrax tablets and five kilograms of cocaine during a search.
A 46-year-old man was arrested and charged with dealing in drugs. He remained in police custody pending a first appearance in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court scheduled for Monday, 14 September.
The charge is an allegation and the accused has not been convicted. Police have not released his name in the statement reviewed by EBNewsDaily.
Western Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi commended the units involved in the operation.
The R5.85 million figure is SAPS’s estimate of the drugs’ street value. No laboratory result or court finding on the substances had been announced at the time of publication.
SAPS said the operation combined organised-crime investigators, intelligence officers and local police. Its statement did not identify the vehicle, its route before the interception or any alleged destination for the consignment.
The case now moves to court, where the prosecution is expected to place the charge on record. Police did not announce further arrests linked to the seizure.
