Two men arrested for transporting R16 million in gold bars seek bail
The men were found in possession of R16 million worth of gold bars.
Image: Hawks
The two men who were caught transporting gold bars appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court in Gauteng on Thursday for possession of suspected stolen property.
Daniel Schubert, 61, and Adriaan du Plessis, 49, were also charged with possession of unwrought gold worth R16 million.
The provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks), Colonel Katlego Mogale, said the arrests follow information received by members of the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation team.
The information was about a grey BMW travelling from the Free State, headed to Gauteng en route to sell the gold.
'The multi-disciplinary team comprising the Serious Organised Crime of the Hawks, Gauteng SAPS Flying Squad, spotted the identified vehicle on the R21, which was successfully pulled over. Upon searching both the vehicle and the occupants, the team discovered a bag containing eighty 100-gram gold bars with an estimated value of R16 million,' Mogale said.
She said the duo could not give any valid reason as to why they were transporting these resources.
'The pair could not furnish the officers with documentation to transport such materials and were subsequently arrested for unlawful possession of unwrought and possession of suspected stolen property,' Mogale said.
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After their brief appearance in court, the matter was postponed until May 22, for a formal bail application. The court has ordered that the men remain in custody until then.
Head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for their outstanding work.
'The Hawks remain steadfast in their mission to dismantle illegal mining and smuggling networks. Criminals must understand that no one is beyond the reach of the law. We will continue to use every available resource to combat these unlawful activities that exploit our country's precious metals for personal gain,' Kadwa said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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headed to Gauteng en route to sell the gold.
'The multi-disciplinary team comprising the Serious Organised Crime of the Hawks, Gauteng SAPS Flying Squad, spotted the identified vehicle on the R21, which was successfully pulled over. Upon searching both the vehicle and the occupants, the team discovered a bag containing 80 x 100-gram gold bars with an estimated value of R16 million,' Mogale said.
She said the duo could not give any valid reason as to why they were transporting these resources.
'The pair could not furnish the officers with documentation to transport such materials and were subsequently arrested for unlawful possession of unwrought and possession of suspected stolen property,' Mogale said.
After their brief appearance in court, the matter was postponed until May 22, for a formal bail application. The court has ordered that the men remain in custody until then.
Head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for their outstanding work.
'The Hawks remain steadfast in their mission to dismantle illegal mining and smuggling networks. Criminals must understand that no one is beyond the reach of the law. We will continue to use every available resource to combat these unlawful activities that exploit our country's precious metals for personal gain,' Kadwa said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
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