South African Police Service (Saps) members have seized four rhino horns, suspected unpolished diamonds and a gold nugget that a suspect was transporting to Lesotho, during an early-morning operation in the Free State on Tuesday.
Free State Saps spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, said Ficksburg Visible Policing Unit members had confiscated the illicit goods during a crime prevention operation in Ficksburg’s policing precinct.
“The police pulled over a White Toyota Alphard in Einde Street near a filling station at about 2:15am. A search was conducted and members found a parcel wrapped with brown sticky packaging tape inside the boot of the vehicle,” said Covane.
“The 39-year-old driver was asked to account (for his goods) and he informed the police that he was requested to transport the parcel from Johannesburg to Maseru.”
Covane said the police unwrapped the parcel and inside found four horns believed to be that of a rhino, a zip-lock plastic bag with fifty suspected unpolished diamonds and one solid piece of gold in a plastic medicine container.
“Members placed the foreign national male under arrest immediately, and a case docket of possession of suspected rhino horns, unpolished diamonds, and gold was opened at Ficksburg Police Station.”
The suspect is expected to appear in Ficksburg Magistrate Court soon.
