
Limpopo police arrest 4 foreign nationals accused of being part of cross-border smuggling ring
JOHANNESBURG - Limpopo police have arrested four foreign nationals accused of being part of a highly organised cross-border smuggling ring.
The men were busted during a raid on Thursday while driving from Cape Town to Malawi.
Police and private security firms intercepted their truck near the Polokwane weighbridge and what followed was an 18-hour search.
Inside the trailers, officers recovered chopped-up parts of a Ford Ranger stolen in Nyanga, 60 stripped motorcycles, and electronics suspected to have been taken from several Western Cape police stations.
"Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe commended the successful operation, saying this breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks that have been exploiting our borders to traffic stolen goods."
The suspects will appear in the Polokwane Magistrates Court on Monday.
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The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Limpopo police bust truck smuggling stolen goods to Malawi
Limpopo police struck a decisive blow against transnational crime, intercepting a highly organised smuggling syndicate transporting stolen goods from Cape Town to Malawi. At around 2:00 on Thursday, 5 June, the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, working with Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, stopped a Scania truck with superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The truck, believed to be part of a broader criminal network exploiting the Beitbridge border post, was found carrying a staggering cache of stolen items following an 18-hour search operation. 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks that have been exploiting our borders to traffic stolen goods,' said Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. Stolen Goods Reveal Chopped Cars and Bikes Investigators uncovered chopped parts of a Ford Ranger stolen in Nyanga, including critical components like the engine and dashboard. Sixty disassembled motorcycles, hidden in drums and containers, were traced to thefts from at least seven police precincts across the Western Cape, such as Bellville, Muizenberg, and Sea Point. Electronic goods suspected to have been stolen, including plasma televisions, sound systems, solar tower batteries, and cell phones, were also added to the haul. All were concealed in an elaborate smuggling setup designed to pass undetected through one of the busiest trade routes in southern Africa. 'The collaboration between our Anti-Smuggling Task Team and private security partners demonstrates the power of coordinated law enforcement efforts,' Hadebe noted. The total value of the recovered goods is estimated to exceed R3 million. Four Suspects to Face Justice Four foreign nationals, aged between 37 and 50, were arrested at the scene. They are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday, 9 June, to face charges related to possession of suspected stolen goods. Authorities have also seized the truck and trailers involved, treating the vehicle as key evidence in an ongoing investigation into cross-border smuggling syndicates. Hadebe assured the public, 'We will continue to target these criminal syndicates relentlessly until they are completely dismantled.' With police ramping up their focus on smuggling syndicates, are our borders finally tightening? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.


The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Limpopo police bust R3m cross-border smuggling ring bound for Malawi
Limpopo police have dismantled a sophisticated cross-border smuggling syndicate operating between South Africa and Malawi, recovering stolen goods worth more than R3m. Polokwane Review reports that the breakthrough came in the early hours of Thursday morning when the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, assisted by Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, intercepted a Scania truck pulling superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The vehicle was travelling from Cape Town to Malawi via the Beitbridge Border Post. Following an 18-hour joint operation, officers recovered: Chopped parts of a Ford Ranger reported stolen in Nyanga, including the engine, dashboard, radiator, differential and steering wheel 60 disassembled motorcycles concealed in drums and containers, reported stolen at various Western Cape police stations, including Bellville, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Milnerton, Sea Point and Athlone Stolen electronics, including plasma TVs, sound systems, solar tower batteries and cellphones Scania truck and trailers used in the smuggling operation. Four men, all foreign nationals aged between 37 and 50, were arrested and are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe praised the arrests. 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks exploiting our borders. The collaboration between our task team and private partners shows the power of co-ordinated enforcement. We will continue to target these syndicates until they are dismantled completely.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!


The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Sophisticated smuggling network busted near Polokwane weighbridge
POLOKWANE – Limpopo police have dismantled one of the most sophisticated cross-border smuggling syndicates operating between South Africa and Malawi, recovering stolen goods worth more than R3m. The breakthrough came in the early hours of Thursday morning (June 5) when the Limpopo Anti-Smuggling Task Team, assisted by Tshimollo Security and Investigation and Shadow Secure Technology, intercepted a Scania truck pulling superlink trailers near the Polokwane weighbridge. The vehicle was travelling from Cape Town to Malawi via the Beitbridge Border Post. Following an 18-hour joint operation, officers recovered: Chopped parts of a Ford Ranger reported stolen in Nyanga, including the engine, dashboard, radiator, differential, and steering wheel. 60 disassembled motorcycles concealed in drums and containers, reported stolen from multiple Western Cape police stations including Bellville, Mfuleni, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Milnerton, Sea Point and Athlone. Stolen electronics, including plasma TVs, sound systems, solar tower batteries, and mobile phones. The Scania truck and trailers used in the smuggling operation. Four male suspects, all foreign nationals aged between 37 and 50, were arrested and are expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Monday (June 9) on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods. The provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the operation: 'This breakthrough represents a major victory against sophisticated criminal networks exploiting our borders. The collaboration between our task team and private partners shows the power of coordinated enforcement. We will continue to target these syndicates until they are dismantled completely.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!