Bus smuggling sorghum beer into South Africa intercepted in Limpopo
The SAPS in Limpopo said its persistent weekly operations conducted in all districts of Limpopo province continue to yield positive results following the arrests of at least 926 suspects from July 11 until Monday.
PRETORIA, July 20 (ANA) – A ban on the sale of alcohol under South Africa’s current Covid-19 restrictions continues to fuel illicit trade in the commodity, with police in Limpopo arresting several people while trying to smuggle sorghum beer into the country.
Alcohol manufactured in neighbouring countries, including sorghum beer, has become readily available in South Africa’s densely populated cities including Johannesburg.
Police officers attached to the Polokwane airport were on a routine patrol along the N1 highway next to South African Breweries when they arrested nine undocumented foreign nationals travelling in a bus and confiscated packs of sorghum beer packed in the trailer, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
“The liquor is valued at R175,800. A 31-year-old driver, who is also a foreign national, was immediately arrested,” he said.
Mojapelo said weekly police operations in all of Limpopo’s districts had led to the arrest of at least crime 926 suspects from July 11 to Monday.
“The suspects were arrested for various crimes ranging from murder, rape, robberies, assaults, smuggling of illicit goods, contravention of Immigration Act to contravention of regulations under the Disaster Management Act,” he said.
In the Sekhukhune district, four people aged between 26 and 37 were arrested for the possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were allegedly running a syndicate of fraudulently buying the vehicles from the car dealership and then selling them. Three salary advices reportedly utilised to fraudulently purchase the vehicles from different car dealerships were also confiscated,” said Mojapelo.
In Seshego, the police family violence, child protection and sexual offences and crime intelligence units arrested a 42-year-old traditional healer for allegedly committing rape in December.
In another incident, four foreign nationals aged between 26 and 42 were on Monday arrested in Tzaneen and 72 boxes of illicit cigarettes valued at R252,000 were seized. Police also confiscated three bakkies.
“Adding up to these arrests, 815 persons were arrested for contravening the regulations under the Disaster Management Act across the province,” Mojapelo said.
“Some of the suspects have already started appearing in different magistrate’s courts around the province. The operations are continuing.”
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa