Three suspects have been arrested and high-value Bonsmara cattle recovered following an intelligence-driven operation targeting a stock theft syndicate.
The operation was conducted by the Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Thabong Crime Intelligence, and the Selosesha Tactical Response Team (TRT).
According to police, the surveillance operation commenced at 18:00 on Thursday, 12 March 2026. An undercover agent was deployed in an authorized entrapment operation conducted in terms of Section 252A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
At approximately 01:30 on Friday, 13 March 2026, the suspects met with the undercover agent to conclude a transaction. The suspects provided Bonsmara cows with an estimated market value of R300,000 in exchange for R20,000 in cash provided by the agent.
Immediately after the transaction, operatives arrested the suspects at a petrol station in the Bloemfontein area.
The three male suspects, aged 43, 42, and 29, face charges of stock theft and possession of suspected stolen livestock. The cattle were confirmed to have been stolen from an agricultural school near Bloemfontein.
The suspects remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.
