The vigilant Springbok SAPS K9 team, with the skilled detection dog Ozzy on duty, has earned praise after apprehending three suspects found in possession of rhino horns and protected plants.
THE VIGILANT Springbok SAPS K9 team, with the skilled detection dog Ozzy on duty, has earned local praise after apprehending three suspects found in possession of rhino horns and protected plants.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said that authorities had received intelligence regarding an unidentified vehicle suspected of transporting rhino horns along the R355 road between Springbok and Gamoep on November 11. Acting on this information, the police established a vehicle checkpoint on the route, screening all passing vehicles.
During the operation, Ozzy, a K9 specialising in protected species detection, alerted officers to suspicious luggage in one of the stopped vehicles. A search revealed protected plants with an estimated value of R45,400 and rhino horns estimated at R449,000. Subsequently, a 23-year-old woman and two men, aged 47 and 56, were arrested.
The suspects were scheduled to appear in the Springbok Magistrate’s Court on November 12.
The Namakwa district commissioner, Brigadier Schalk Andrews, expressed gratitude to the community for their vigilance in reporting criminal activity, which enables the police to act swiftly. He reaffirmed that, with the support of stakeholders, the SAPS will continue to tighten the net on criminal operations.
