In what has been described as the biggest drug bust in the Western Cape, cops have seized a massive haul of cocaine worth over half a billion rand on Monday.
Now crime fighters in Saldanha Bay are calling on police to clamp down on all international vessels docking in the harbour, fearing gang violence.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, says the bust was made by the Organised Crime Narcotics Unit, where cops descended on the large boat and busted 10 suspects from Bulgaria and Myanmar.
“The intelligence-driven, evening operation saw various tactical forces descending on the vessel where 973 blocks of compressed cocaine with an estimated value of R583 million were found in three compartments of the vessel.
“Ten suspects, four of Bulgarian descent and six from Myanmar were subsequently arrested on charges of dealing in drugs. They are expected to appear in court in Vredenburg soon.”
She says the investigation into the origins and intended destination of the drugs continues.
Vredenburg Community Police Forum Cluster chairperson, Pastor Chris Maart, says: “The community is in shock to think such a large amount of drugs were being smuggled through our port by international suspects but this is not the first time.
“Just last week the police found drugs taped to the underside of a vessel in the harbour and something must be done because the main question is where were these drugs supposed to go to?”
Maart says while they deal with the issues created by drug abuse in the small coastal town, the community fears the implications of international drug cartels and local gangsters using the Saldanha harbour to smokkel drugs.
“There is a big fear that they are using harbours to smuggle their drugs in because the police are more slack here than in Cape Town harbour where there are stricter controls.
“But if international cartels and Cape Town gangs are coming here to get their drugs in, what happens when the rival gangs find out? We could be caught in the middle.
“The police need to put stricter measures in place here in Saldanha.”
Addressing the media during a visit in Cape Town on Tuesday, Police Minister Bheki Cele, said it was the “biggest bust” in the Western Cape, adding: “This province is targeted, both nationally and internationally, by the drug lords and hence the problem that people die in Mitchell’s Plain, they die in Delft and all other places, like Kraaifontein.”