The Hawks have arrested seven suspects believed to be illegal mining kingpins and seized 14 vehicles worth millions.
The Hawks in Gauteng have arrested seven men believed to be illegal mining kingpins and seized 14 vehicles worth millions which belong to them.
The foreign nationals were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday on Gauteng’s West Rand as part of Operation Gillette.
The multi-disciplinary operation comprising the Hawks, police and Department of Home Affairs is meant to curb illegal mining.
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An eighth person is on the run, while two others have been taken in for questioning.
The Gauteng Hawks, who led the operation, pounced on eight properties in Carletonville and Khutsong, west of Johannesburg.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the vehicles seized at the properties included an Audi A3, Range Rover Evoque, Ford Ranger Raptor, VW Golf R, VW Amarok, a VW T-Roc, and a truck.
Mogale said the cheapest vehicle seized was valued at around R800 000.
Four of the vehicles were recovered from a house in Khutsong, which belonged to a 38-year-old foreign national, she added.
She said:
The legality of some suspects in the country is being probed.
According to Mogale, they are believed to be processing precious metals, including gold, in South Africa and selling it outside the country. They were expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
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