Two in court for smuggling R1.4m heroin
Two Tanzanian men were arrested at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza, with heroin concealed in the lining of their suitcases. Two Tanzanian men were arrested at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza, with heroin concealed in the lining of their suitcases.
Durban - Two men with alleged links to a multimillion-rand Tanzanian drug syndicate, who allegedly attempted to smuggle pure heroin into KwaZulu-Natal, have been nabbed by police.
They were allegedly caught with more than R1.4 million worth of heroin, concealed in the lining of their suitcases.
The drugs were destined for the Point area in Durban, a police source said.
Jamali Saidi and Ali Abdalla Ali appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court last week on charges of possession of drugs.
They were remanded in custody. The matter was adjourned to Friday for a bail application.
The men were arrested after a two-month operation by the Durban Organised Crime Unit and Crime Intelligence.
The source said the accused had travelled for four days from Tanzania to Johannesburg.
“They travelled by taxi from Tanzania to Zambia, and then on to Botswana. At Park Station in Johannesburg, they took another taxi to Durban. They did not stop.”
The men were arrested at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza.
“They are known as high-flyers. They do not deal in drugs, but deliver it for the kingpins to dealers across the country. The sale and use of heroin in KZN is huge. It is a very lucrative business.”
The Tanzanian kingpins were known to live in and operate from China and Brazil, the source said. “They are multi-millionaires. The heroin is transported by ship to Tanzania from Afghanistan.
“It is in its purest form and comes in solid blocks. Once in Tanzania, it is cut up further and distributed to all parts of the country,” the source said.
“The is a significant arrest. The drug, with a street value of more than R1.4m, was carefully concealed in the lining of the suitcases.”
The source said a dealer was expected to have received the goods in the Point area.
“Heroin is not consumed in its pure form. It is mixed with other stuff to make sugars or whoonga. The dealer makes a 500 percent profit on the heroin.”
He said known hot spots for the drugs in Durban were Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Broad) Street, the Point and Morningside.
“The local dealers live in upmarket areas like uMhlanga and Pinetown.”
Heroin was sold for R250 000 a kilogram, the source said, adding that all deals between the syndicate and dealers were done in US dollars.
South African dealers also sold heroin to dealers in the UK and Amsterdam, the source said.
The suspects, the source added, had travelled with legitimate travel documents and had crossed all border points without being intercepted.
“More arrests are imminent,” he said.
Daily News