HOUT BAY – A slick false compartment and 172 000 Mandrax tablets worth more than R10 million – that is what Hawks detectives found when they pulled over two vehicles in Hout Bay on Thursday, arresting three suspects in an intelligence-driven drug bust.

Acting on intelligence, the South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (Saneb) team stopped and searched the vehicles, uncovering the massive stash of Mandrax tablets concealed in a hidden compartment.

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Three suspects, aged between 41 and 60, were arrested on 8 October.

The haul – one of the larger Mandrax seizures in the Western Cape in recent years – underscores the Hawks‘ continued focus on dismantling drug supply networks in the province.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

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