Members of the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) seized a shipment of cocaine that made its way to the United Kingdom (UK) from South Africa. SWOROCU said the cocaine weighed approximately 49 kilograms and had an estimated street value of R75 million. The drugs were found hidden in a shipment of oranges.
The seizure was made at the Port of Felixstowe after four men were arrested during an operation in West London. The three suspects have since been released.
“One man from Southall, Ealing, has been charged with conspiring to import class A drugs and is remanded in custody.
“Three other men from West London, aged 31, 51 and 60, have been released while the investigation continues.
The arrests are linked to the interception of a 189-kilogram cocaine shipment in April. The drugs were found in a shipping container on a farm near Bridgewater in Somerset, which allegedly came from Colombia.
SWROCU did not provide any information about the shipment’s port of origin. In an unrelated incident, the Hawks arrested a 64-year-old man in Mpumalanga after tik worth approximately R1.2 million was found hidden under a load of oranges on the bakkie he was driving. -The South African