Hawks bust fuel pipeline fraud kingpin

National News/ 19 October 2022, 18:30pm/ Mpho Mokoena

fuel fraud kingpin arrested: image supplied

By Mpho Mokoena: Hawks have arrested a 35-year-old fuel fraud kingpin for alleged involvement in the syndicate linked to the theft of fuel and damage to essential infrastructure which forms part of the national key point.

He was arrested on Wednesday, 19 October 2022 in Pretoria by a multidisciplinary team led by the Free State Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team together with Bidvest Protea Coin Security, Gauteng Traffic Department Saturation Unit.

His arrest follows further investigation into the arrest of two suspects aged between 35 and 41 on Saturday, 16 October 2022 for theft of fuel and tempering with the Transnet national pipeline in Vrede, Free State and were arrested on delivering the stolen fuel in Kromdraai, Witbank.

The alleged kingpin is expected to appear in the Witbank Magistrates court tomorrow and will later appear in Vrede with other suspects.

It is now on public domain that almost 8.5 million litres of fuel, valued at approximately R102 million, has been stolen from national Transnet pipes in the last year. There are 46 suspects arrest in the last three months owing to the multi-disciplinary approach operations which prove to be a working formula. Now with the additional three linked to this incident, we are sitting at total of 49 suspects arrested in the country.