A 44-year-old Zimbabwean truck driver was arrested on Saturday, September 13, after police in the Western Cape discovered a consignment of Mandrax tablets valued at an estimated R2.05 million in his vehicle, according to law enforcement officials.
The arrest took place in Kraaifontein, a municipality near Cape Town. In a statement released following the incident, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the province confirmed that officers had seized 41,000 tablets.
According to the police report, the driver was allegedly transporting the narcotics from the Western Cape to Johannesburg. Officials did not provide further details regarding the specific intelligence or circumstances that led to the vehicle being stopped and searched.
The suspect was taken into custody and is expected to appear in the Kraaifontein Magistrate’s Court in the coming week. He is anticipated to face formal charges related to drug trafficking. Authorities have not publicly released the name of the suspect pending his court appearance, which is standard procedure.
Mandrax is the common name for methaqualone, a sedative-hypnotic drug that is a controlled substance and illegal in South Africa. Law enforcement agencies continue to report seizures of the drug across the country.
No information was released by police regarding the origin of the drugs or any potential connection to a larger distribution network. The investigation remains ongoing.
