THE South African Police Services (Saps) this week arrested a suspected car smuggler and intercepted a Mercedes Benz car that was being driven across the Limpopo riverbed into Zimbabwe.
BY OWN CORRESPONDENT
The car smuggler was nabbed under a Saps operation codenamed Vala Madi (Close The Water) that is aimed at controlling smuggling of goods from SA into Zimbabwe through unofficial entry points.
The operation, which includes members of the Saps tactical response team, public order police, the dog section and supported by the South African National Defence Forces, was launched in December last year.
“The police in this operation managed to recover a vehicle that got stuck in the middle of the Limpopo River,” Limpopo police spokesman, Motlafelo Mojapelo said in a statement on Thursday.
“The vehicle, a white Mercedes Benz, was stolen in Durban and it belongs to a renting company.
“It was apparently being smuggled into Zimbabwe when it got stuck.”
The accused, aged 28, is expected to appear in a Musina court soon to answer to charges of possession of a stolen vehicle.
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From December last year, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Saps have intercepted a number of late model vehicles stolen from South Africa and smuggled into Zimbabwe through an illegal exit point along the Limpopo riverbed.
Mojapelo said among the cars intercepted from December to date were a splash Range Rover valued at R900 000 destined for Malawi and the arrested driver had large sums of cash.
“A Ford Ranger, Audi A6 valued at R400 000, a Mercedes Benz C180 valued at R380 000 and a Datsun Go valued at R90 000 were also recovered at various points along the Limpopo River,” he said.
Some of these vehicles belong to rental companies and smugglers at times would hire donkeys from villagers to negotiate across the river, he said.
Some of the recovered cars are at Beitbridge Police Station in Zimbabwe.
