A man in his forties who was driving a Toyota Quantum is expected to appear before the Middleburg Magistrate’s Court in relation to allegations that he was apprehended after being busted in possession of two rhino horns with a combined value of approximately R2 million.
When officers were conducting routine patrols along the N4 close to the Middleburg toll plaza , they pulled over a white Toyota Quantum and conducted an investigation into its occupants, according to SAPS.
Two rhinoceros horns were found stowed away in a bag made of black plastic that was located in the engine compartment of the vehicle.
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The minibus had no other passengers. After establishing their identities, the law enforcement officers approached the vehicle’s driver and requested permission to search the vehicle.
The driver did not provide any kind of justification or explanation for the contents of the plastic bag.
The suspect was taken into custody and charged with being in possession of rhino horn.
The provincial commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga has praised the recovery of the rhino horns and the arrest that was made in connection with them.
Poachers, the general continued, are to blame for the extinction and endangerment of keystone species, which has a negative impact on the animal ecosystem in the country, and this is due to the fact that poachers are killing them.
