A Zimbabwean national, Josephat Bayayi, 43, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for smuggling explosives across the border from Zimbabwe to South Africa.
In July, South African Revenue Services (Sars) personnel were scanning the vehicles at Beitbridge Port of Entry.
They noticed suspicious items loaded into a red Iveco truck with a trailer. The truck is believed to have been coming from Zimbabwe.
The Beitbridge Port of Entry-based police, the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) and bomb technicians were then summoned to the scene.
When authorities carried out the search and seizure, they found and seized 14 reels of detonating fuses, 747 superpower, 90 blasting cartridges, and 875 carmex connector-capped fuses. These were valued at a total of R456,850.00.
According to an investigation, the explosives were coming from Zimbabwe and were destined for Johannesburg.
The driver was arrested for smuggling the explosives, and a case was opened.
The case was later transferred to the Musina based Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation for further handling.
The accused was denied bail and kept in custody until he was convicted and sentenced by the Musina Regional Court on Tuesday.
IOL