Three men from the Free State are expected in court soon after they were arrested on charges of allegedly dealing in gold.
The suspects were arrested on Friday, November 24.
The provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks), Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli said members of the Welkom Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Hawks Head Office PMD team, Public Order Police, and Protea Coin Security arrested the trio.
Mohobeleli said information about the suspects exchanging gold for cash between the Free State and Gauteng.
Investigators managed to obtain a search and seizure warrant.
“They had their eyes set squarely on a certain house in Parys where these illegal activities were said to be taking place. Early on Friday morning, law enforcement officers pounced and nine nuggets of unwrought gold worth an estimated R3 million and approximately R4 million in cash were recovered. Four vehicles were also seized,” Mohobeleli said.
Head of the Hawks in the Free State, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba welcomed the arrests of the suspects and the breakthrough of cooperation and sharing of information across provinces.
Bokaba also sent out a stern warning to criminals: “There is nowhere to run. We have eyes and ears everywhere. Our collective mission is to curb illicit mining and all crimes flowing from it”.
Investigators have also activated to ensure that the recovered assets and proceeds of crime and forfeited.
IOL