A 49-year-old foreign national is in police custody after heroin worth a staggering R75 million was discovered hidden inside his truck on Sunday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says the K9 unit in Witrivier in Mpumalanga rushed to assist the Hawks' Narcotic Bureau after receiving a tip-off about a truck transporting illegal drugs.
He says various role players took part in a multi-disciplinary operation where they pulled over the truck to escort it to the Badplaas police station.
Colonel Mogale says the Elukwatini Fire Department assisted in opening a concealed compartment of the truck where 250 heroine bricks weighing 1 kg each were discovered.
He says the drugs with an estimated value of R75 million entered the country via Mozambique and were destined for the international market.
Police will now thoroughly investigate how the truck was cleared at the border before entering South Africa.
The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance in the Carolina Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The drug bust was a result of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) team that was established by the ministries responsible for policing the Republics of South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania to counter heroin trafficking through the Southern Route.
