In a major drug bust, police have seized cocaine with a street value of about R65 million in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Picture: Supplied
In a major drug bust, police have seized cocaine with a street value of about R65 million in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
The narcotics were found at the seaport on a vessel that had entered the country from Brazil.
While no one has been arrested, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said police were investigating a case of trafficking of drugs.
“SAPS members of the Gqerberha Sea Port were following up on intelligence when they intercepted the vessel as it was docking on Thursday, November 2 and found 35 blocks of cocaine that were compressed in blocks.”
The incident was recorded as the third drug trafficking thwarted by police in a space of three weeks.
Mathe said two other drug busts were in KwaZulu-Natal where police seized cocaine worth R150 million.
The first one was on October 18 where cocaine worth R70m was found at the Durban Harbour and two days later the same substance worth a street value of R80m was seized from a warehouse within the King Shaka International Airport.
Mathe said the breakthroughs were as a results of Operational Shanela, which has seen police arresting more than 200 000 suspects in the last six months for various crimes ranging from murder to rape.
National police commissioner Fannie Masemola commended the Gqerberha Sea Port police members and other police officers across the country for clamping down on all forms of criminality.
“Intelligence is at work, our members are on the ground throughout the country, clamping down on all forms of criminality. Day in and day out we continue to confiscate large quantities of these drugs. SA is not a playground for criminals,” said Masemola.
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