Members of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), South African Police Services and other state agencies on Friday seized 300 kg of pure cocaine worth US$72 million in an early morning raid at the port of Durban, SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has announced.
He said the SARS marine unit, police crime intelligence and National Detective Services, boarded the vessel coming from South America “to secure several containers profiled by SARS.”
“The pure cocaine was detected after a week-long intelligence-driven operation,” Kieswetter said.
He added: “The containers were inspected after they were off-loaded in Durban harbour. The inspection revealed zinc metal products and several black bags containing 378 bricks of pure cocaine.”
According to Kieswetter, “the illicit cargo, and what appears to be cellular tracking devices, were handed to police for further investigation.”
“By working together, government has shown again it is determined to fight the scourge of narcotics entering the country — and destroying the lives of its users, especially the youth,” the commissioner said.
Kieswetter praised enforcement agencies involved in the successful operation.
NM/jn/APA