Two suspects aged 28 and 32 are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on 25 August 2022 for possession of suspected stolen copper.
The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team together with the Pretoria Flying squad and Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) responded swiftly to intelligence received about a freight truck traveling from Limpopo, Thabazimbi to Gauteng laden with copper. An intelligence-driven operation was conducted. The truck that matched the description was spotted and stopped along the N1 just outside of Gauteng. The resultant search uncovered suspected stolen copper worth millions of rand.
The copper was immediately seized and the suspects were arrested for possession of suspected stolen non-ferrous metals (copper) and lack of documents for the copper. Zambian tracking company ICE later arrived at the station and confirmed that the truck was stolen in Botswana.