On the 2nd of April 2024, members of the Welkom K9 Unit received crucial information from the Free State Counter Narcotics regarding a bus travelling on the N1 road from Gauteng to Cape Town, suspected of carrying illegal drugs.
Acting swiftly, the information was operationalized at approximately 19:40, when a waylay was conducted near Ventersburg.
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Thanks to the efficient coordination of the South African Police Service (SAPS) members, the bus was identified and pulled over. Permission was then sought to search the vehicle, leading to a significant discovery.
A total of 18 brown carton boxes were found, and upon questioning, the drivers revealed that they had accepted the boxes from the occupants of a white Toyota Quest sedan at the Grasmere Toll Gate Plaza.
Inside the boxes, law enforcement officers uncovered damp newspaper wrappings containing a staggering 3,880 bundles of suspected Khatedulis drug plants. This discovery has an estimated street value of around R116,400.
The diligent work of the arresting officers, Constables Jacobus Van Wyk, Lebohang Khuto, Khanyisa Ntoyi, and Sergeant Velaphi Mtjale, from the Welkom K9 Unit, ensured the successful apprehension of the suspects.
The driver, aged 40, and his assistant, aged 41, were promptly arrested for possession of Khatedulis drugs. They now face legal proceedings and are scheduled to appear in the Ventersburg Magistrate Court on the 4th of April 2024.
