Gauteng police have intercepted a major drug shipment, seizing cocaine valued at around R20 million during a late night operation in Midrand.

According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, a multidisciplinary team acted on intelligence on Tuesday night and raided a smallholding in Blue Hills, where the drugs were being stored.

“We were following up on information of drugs that were being stored at a plot in Blue Hills, Midrand. We then obtained a search warrant and pounced on the plot where the drugs was hidden in a storage room.”

A 56-year-old man, believed to be the owner of the property, was arrested at the scene. Officers recovered approximately 80 kilograms of cocaine bricks,  which was labelled “Hermès, Paris”, during the operation.

Mathe says early indications suggest the consignment was smuggled into South Africa from a neighbouring country and was intended for distribution in Cape Town.

The suspect is expected to appear before the Midrand Magistrate Court later on this week, on a possible charge of possession of drugs as well as dealing in drugs.

Also read: Police have uncovered a dagga cultivation laboratory in Bothasig