The South African and Mozambican police services, working under the auspices of the Southern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Committee, have seized 30 luxury vehicles worth an estimated R5,5-million.
The operation, conducted by the crime intelligence and organised-crime units from Limpopo, their Mozambican counterparts and Mozambican customs officers, began on August 2 and ended on August 10.
Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said on Friday that intelligence on the theft of vehicles in South Africa destined for Mozambique led authorities to a warehouse in Mozambique where the South African vehicles were kept for distribution.
Several roadblocks had also been set up to identify and confiscate stolen vehicles, Martins-Engelbrecht said.
She said negotiations were under way for the repatriation of the vehicles, mainly 4X4 and single-cabin bakkies as well as trucks, to South Africa.
“These successes are evidential of the breakthrough we are making in the ongoing fight against vehicle crime syndicates operating within the region,” said Assistant Commissioner Vinesh Moonoo, the national head of organised crime for the South African police.