A man was arrested when a bakkie loaded with dagga valued at about R500,000 crashed near George in the Western Cape after the driver leapt from the moving vehicle, abandoning his alleged accomplice this weekend, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, said on Sunday.
George Hawks serious organised crime investigation members, assisted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) public order policing, crime intelligence, and K9 units, and the SAPS Eden policing cluster task team, confiscated dagga worth at least R500,000 from a bakkie travelling from the Eastern Cape, Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Philani Nkwalase said in a statement.
“The team swiftly reacted on information about a vehicle that was travelling from the Eastern Cape to George transporting dagga. A vehicle matching the description was spotted in Wilderness and police vehicles gave chase,” Nkwalase said.
The suspects’ bakkie was subsequently “successfully intercepted” by police officers before the driver jumped from the moving vehicle, which caused the bakkie to leave the road and plunge down a gorge with the passenger still inside.
A 28-year-old suspect suffered minor injuries and had since been taken to hospital for medical treatment. He was expected to appear in the George Magistrates’ Court on Monday to face charges of dealing in dagga, among other things, Nkwalase said.
Source: ANA
