Mkhwanazi said the owners of the popular logistics company warehouse had nothing to do with the drugs.
“The reason we are here is because it’s a place where the shipping company had identified as a safer place where these items can be searched while the police are doing their search,” said Mkhwanazi.
He said if police had not intercepted the containers, they would have been offloaded onto rail carriages or trucks and headed to the buyer.
“Fortunately the search was conducted and 178kg worth of drugs was discovered. The containers were not the same as those with drugs. They were marked differently. They had a sticker and were packed on top,” said Mkhwanazi.
“I guess it would have been easy for owners to quickly take the drugs out.
“These are the criminals and cartels which are piggybacking off the legitimate goods from Brazil coming to South Africa.”
Police said according to the documentation, the shipment was destined for Johannesburg. Investigations are under way to uncover the people behind the drugs.
TimesLIVE
R86.5m cocaine haul smuggled on ship from Brazil to Durban intercepted by cops
Image: Mfundo Mkhize
Intelligence gathered by police led to them uncovering almost R90m worth of cocaine in Durban on Monday which was smuggled in bags of kidney beans in containers on a cargo ship from Brazil.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said police were tipped off about the consignment of drugs worth R86.5m and weighing 178kg.
“It was packaged in the way beans are packaged. It feels like beans and yet it is not. The team has managed to find these bags and forensics is here to process the scene,” said Mkhwanazi.
He said the drugs were crushed and put into sacks in 10 containers on the ship which had detoured to other country from Brazil.
“It commenced its journey at the beginning of November and was coming from another country. It’s been anchored outside uMhlanga for almost a week waiting to come into the port.”
He said a police team had been on guard until it arrived in the port.
The vessel was flagged and directed to a specific berthing site. From there the containers were taken to a warehouse on South Coast Road, which was accessible for police.
Image: Mfundo Mkhize
Mkhwanazi said the owners of the popular logistics company warehouse had nothing to do with the drugs.
“The reason we are here is because it’s a place where the shipping company had identified as a safer place where these items can be searched while the police are doing their search,” said Mkhwanazi.
He said if police had not intercepted the containers, they would have been offloaded onto rail carriages or trucks and headed to the buyer.
“Fortunately the search was conducted and 178kg worth of drugs was discovered. The containers were not the same as those with drugs. They were marked differently. They had a sticker and were packed on top,” said Mkhwanazi.
“I guess it would have been easy for owners to quickly take the drugs out.
“These are the criminals and cartels which are piggybacking off the legitimate goods from Brazil coming to South Africa.”
Police said according to the documentation, the shipment was destined for Johannesburg. Investigations are under way to uncover the people behind the drugs.
TimesLIVE
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