On July 3rd, JMPD Tactical Response Unit recovered R9 million in hijacked copper rods.
(The Post News)– In an operation conducted by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s (JMPD) Tactical Response Unit, two suspects were arrested in possession of hijacked copper rods valued at R9 million.
The incident occurred on July 3rd, 2025, when two AMPM SA trucks transporting copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo were hijacked. The suspects, posing as metro police officers, kidnapped the truck drivers and made off with the high-value cargo.
The JMPD’s tactical response unit quickly traced both hijacked trucks to the N3 South in Bedfordview. Officers then successfully intercepted one of the vehicles. Although one suspect attempted to flee the scene, both individuals were ultimately apprehended. Both trucks and the full copper cargo, valued at R9 million, were recovered without any loss.
JMPD confirmed that suspects were detained at Bedfordview SAPS and are now facing multiple charges, including “possession of suspected stolen property, truck hijacking, and kidnapping.”
The Bedford bust highlights a growing crisis in South Africa’s freight and logistics industry, where the theft of copper in transit has become increasingly frequent. Just a few months earlier, on March 28th, 4 suspects were arrested after police conducted a major raid on a farm in Ventersdorp, North West Province, where they uncovered stolen copper cathodes valued at R6 million. That copper had been hijacked from a truck in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where suspects had ambushed the vehicle, forced the driver off the road, and unhooked the trailer before attaching it to another truck and transporting it to the farm.
In 2021, Transnet Freight Rail reported that copper theft had nearly doubled over the previous five years. By 2023, South Africa had logged more than 2,600 cases of cargo theft in just 18 months, many of which involved copper rods or cathodes intended for export through ports such as Durban.
As thefts like these increase in frequency and disrupt national supply chains, the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies like the JMPD remain vigilant in uncovering criminal syndicates and protecting South Africa’s critical infrastructure.
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