Hawks’ National Head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, has lauded his team’s recovery of a 600kg cocaine cache with a street value of R240 million at the Durban harbour.

The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team made the recovery after receiving information about an MSC vessel that was sailing from the South America to South Africa transporting containers with wooden flooring boards which had cocaine concealed within the consignment.

“On arrival, the container was searched. It was discovered that between the boards, there was large black sports bags, each with bricks of cocaine,” said Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo.

No arrests have been made at this stage pending the ongoing investigation.

“I appreciate the efforts by the members of the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] in disrupting the supply of drugs. With the cargo safely in good hands, we shall now be focussing on the perpetrators,” said Lebeya.

He said he had further appointed a team on the recommendation of the Deputy National Head to cover ground in dealing with the drugs that were stolen in a burglary incident.

Source: South African Government News Agency