A policeman on Monday dropped a bombshell in court when he testified that he found the duty roster of Lentegeur Police Station pasted on the fridge of Glenda Bird, the sister of alleged drug kingpin Fadwaan “Vet” Murphy.
The cop, who cannot be identified, said the incriminating discovery was made during a “warrantless” search conducted at her house.
Testifying at the Cape High Court on Monday, the officer said he was part of Operation Combat at the time.
Murphy, Bird and their five co-accused, Shafieka Murphy, Dominic Davidson, Leon Paulsen and Desmond Jacobs are facing 229 charges including racketeering, drug dealing and money laundering.
Murphy’s business, Ulterior Trading Solutions CC, has also been named as a respondent in the case.
The officer was testifying in the trial within a trial, about the fact that a warrant was not used during the search at 10 Turksvy Street in Lentegeur on 1 October 2017, where Bird lives.
The house is owned by Murphy.
‘HAD ROSTER’: Glenda Bird
According to the indictment, charge 227 relates to this search, where drugs like mandrax and tik were allegedly found inside the house.
The cop said he went ahead and searched the premises as applying for a warrant would cause delays.
He testified he did not trust cops at Lentegeur SAPS to take part in the search because Bird was in a relationship with an officer there.
This suspicion was borne out when they found a duty roster of Lentegeur SAPS posted on the fridge.
The matter will continue today for closing arguments and judgement in the trial within a trial.
DISCOVERED: Mandrax, tik were found during a raid
Last year Murphy and his legal team also challenged a warrantless search conducted at a house in Reindeer Street, Lotus River, in September 2015, when R4 million worth of drugs, cash and packing equipment were found.
The investigating officer, Captain Nadine Britz, said she was at the premises after their station had received a complaint about suspected illegal activity, and reacted when a witness claimed Shafieka Murphy was also inside.
This after she had received information that Shafieka would be travelling from Worcester to Cape Town to pack drugs for Vet, but did not know where exactly.
The judge ruled that that search was legal.