South African authorities on Saturday apprehended two Namibian nationals in connection with the possession of 36 diamonds with a street value of N$3,7 million.
Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba yesterday said the Namibians and two South Africans were arrested in Pretoria.
Mahamba said the suspects were arrested during a crime intelligence-driven operation by Tshwane Metro Police K9 unit members and other law-enforcement agencies on Saturday.
“During the operation, they followed up on information about diamonds that were going to be delivered at a mall in Mayville, Pretoria,” he said.
He said the team rushed to the said location and waited for the suspects to arrive.
A white Honda vehicle arrived with four suspects.
“The four suspects were immediately apprehended. They were found in possession of 36 diamonds. The diamonds have an estimated street value of R3,7 million,” he said.
Mahamba told The Namibian he could not reveal the names of the suspects, saying: “Unfortunately, we can’t disclose their identities until they appear in court.”
He said they comprised three men and one woman.
They four were arrested in connection with dealing in illegal diamonds and money laundering.
Mahamba said they will appear in court soon.
The two Namibians arrested in South Africa on Saturday brought the number of Namibians arrested in South Africa to three in less than three days.
Last week Thursday the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigaion Unit, known as the Hawks, and the South African Police Service arrested fugitive lawyer Marén de Klerk. De Klerk willingly met the Hawks and the police in connection with a matter in which he was allegedly conned out of millions of rands by a disbarred lawyer.
De Klerk is wanted by the Namibian government for corruption, fraud, theft and money laundering.
The lawyer left Namibia in January 2020 after he had been questioned by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
He is implicated in the transfer of nearly N$82 million allegedly stolen from Namibia’s state-owned National Fishing Corporation (Fishcor).
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