The bail hearing for the 10 foreign nationals accused of trying to smokkel cocaine worth over R500 million into Cape Town has been postponed again for a translator.
The 10 men – four from Bulgaria and six from Myanmar – were busted near Saldanha Bay on 1 March in what has been hailed as the biggest drug bust in the Western Cape.
They appeared in the Vredenburg Magistrates’ Court on 4 March where it was revealed that the state needed to find translators in order to proceed, but when they returned on Friday a translator from Myanmar has not yet been secured.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila says: “The case was postponed to [Friday] for the State to organise interpreters as the defence indicated that they were struggling to consult with the accused.
“Today, the State informed the court that a Bulgarian interpreter was available, Anton Nikorov, to assist the court. Nikorov started immediately to interpret for the four accused men from Bulgaria.
“The State also informed the court that it has made contact with the Embassy of Myanmar in Pretoria for it to assist with getting an interpreter.”
He says the case was postponed to 23 March for bail information and for the state to secure a second translator.
“The accused will remain in custody in Malmesbury [Prison] as was requested by the defence.”
During the bust, cops discovered 973 blocks of compressed cocaine with an estimated value of R583 million on the vessel and the 10 suspects were charged with drug dealing.