By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry heard the testimony from Major General Hendrik Flynn, component head for serious organised crime at the Hawks, on allegations of criminality and corruption linked to drug busts.
Flynn testimony relates to the theft of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine from the Potchefstroom Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) Unit, which was originally seized in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in June 2021.
Flynn told the commission that standard procedure requires seized drugs to be stored at the nearest police station, in this case, Isipingo SAPS.
However, KZN DPCI head Lesetja Senona, initially claimed there was insufficient storage capacity at the station.
This has been disputed by warrant officer, Dan Perumal, who said he was never approached about storing the drugs.
His account is supported by Isipingo station commander, Erick Jacobs, who confirmed that no request was made.
The commission heard that Senona gave the keys but did not accompany the individuals to ensure they performed their duties correctly.
Flynn criticised the request for samples at that stage, saying they should have been managed at the crime scene.
He told the commission that if Senona had proper control of the key he should have opened that safe himself and not provided the key to anyone under his command to enter that facility because he would “never be able to account for what transpired there in his absence”.
Senona maintained that he took sufficient steps to secure the cocaine, saying he issued an instruction to monitor the facility.
Preliminary investigations revealed poor security at the facility, raising suspicions that the theft may have also been an inside job.
In a separate development, Flynn revealed that police seized nearly a tonne of cocaine in Durban in July 2021.
The drugs – 999 one-kilogram bricks – were discovered hidden inside a shipping container at a logistics depot, traced back to the Port of Santos in Brazil.
The container, declared as carrying truck parts linked to Scania, was found to have been used without the company’s knowledge.
Flynn said a detention order had been placed on the shipment before the seizure, with the drugs later taken to Maydon Wharf Police Station.
He explained that traffickers often exploit legitimate cargo using a method known as “rip-on, rip-off” where drugs are concealed in containers without the owner’s knowledge and removed before delivery.
He added that such operations typically rely on organised criminal networks and, in some cases, corrupt officials at ports of origin and destination.
Two more witnesses are expected this week to lead evidence on the theft of the drugs.
KZN Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who initially made the drug cartel infiltration accusations last year, has said it seems that the cocaine was stolen during a power outage.
He said it was believed the stolen drug consignment ended up in Johannesburg.
Mkhwanazi explained that the burglars stole some of the consignment, instead of delivering it to where it was ultimately meant to go.