JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 30 — SouthAfrica has stepped up its fight against drug trafficking, after police seized cocaine worth 20 million rands (about 1.17 million U.S. dollars) at a smallholding in Midrand, Johannesburg. “According to further investigation, the drugs were brought into SouthAfrica from a neighboring country and were destined for Cape Town, Western Cape Province. The cocaine was found hidden in a storage room on the identified plot,” said SouthAfrican Police Service (SAPS) national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe on Wednesday. Mathe said the discovery was made on Tuesday evening. She added that a 56-year-old man, suspected to be the owner of the plot, has been arrested. “The suspect is expected to appear before the Midrand Magistrate’s Court later this week on possible charges of drug possession and dealing,” Mathe said. In recent years, the SAPS has uncovered numerous clandestine drug laboratories, particularly on farms, producing drugs worth billions of rands. In March this year, the SAPS announced that over the past three years, the police had destroyed drugs worth approximately 5.2 billion rands.
Xinhua
