Hawks seize five vehicles from alleged fuel theft kingpin

Five luxury vehicles were seized during an operation at a smallholding belonging to a 35-year-old alleged kingpin linked to a syndicate siphoning fuel from Transnet pipelines.

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Philani Nkwalase said a Jeep SRT 8 SUV, Mercedes-Benz Viano minibus, Toyota Land Cruiser bakkie, Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV and Jeep V8 SUV were seized.

The value of the vehicles has not yet been established.

Five cellphones, documents, illegal firearms and ammunition and an undisclosed amount of cash were also confiscated.

“The search operation followed his arrest in Pretoria on Wednesday morning, which continued until dawn on Thursday as officials processed the exhibits or assets suspected to be the proceeds of crime.”

Two of his alleged accomplices, aged 35 and 41, were nabbed on Saturday October 16 for fuel theft and tampering with the Transnet national pipeline in Vrede, Free State. They were arrested while allegedly delivering the stolen fuel in Kromdraai, Witbank.

A second tanker, which had allegedly been seen at the premises when the alleged accomplices were arrested, has been linked to a new case at the Transnet pipeline in Silverton on Thursday, Nkwalase said.

The suspects fled before they could be arrested, but the tanker was seized for investigation.

The alleged kingpin will face charges of damage to essential infrastructure and theft of fuel when he appears in the Vrede magistrate’s court on Friday.

His appearance had been scheduled for Thursday but Nkwalase said it was held over “owing to the volume of work to make the docket court-ready”.