Closing arguments and judgment to determine why there was no search warrant during a raid at a drug warehouse believed to belong to alleged kingpin Fadwaan “Vet” Murphy will take place next week.
After three days of a trial within a trial, Judge Diane Davis said she will announce her decision on Tuesday.
This was after three witnesses from the State were called to testify why a warrant was not used on 18 September 2015, during a raid at a house in Reindeer Street, Lotus River where cops confiscated drugs and money worth R4 million, which included 7 985 packets of tik, 10 400 units of heroin and sealing machines.
Murphy and his six co-accused pleaded not guilty to 229 charges relating to racketeering, drug dealing and possession, and money laundering.
On Tuesday, the investigating officer, Captain Nadene Britz told the court she went to the house at the request of her cluster commander, Major General Gregory Goss, who had received a tip-off about illegal activities at the house.
She said she made a quick decision to search the premises as she feared any evidence of drugs would be destroyed.
She said it would have taken more than three hours to secure a warrant from a judge as it was late on a Friday afternoon.
She also learnt through crime intelligence that accused number two, Shafieka Murphy, Murphy’s ex-wife, would be travelling from Worcester with two other women to allegedly package drugs for him but she didn’t know where it would take place.