'CUPIDO WAS FIRST STOP'

A SUSPENDED bank manager and his co-accused have been blasted as “first receivers” for international drug cartels.

Raed Cupido, 40, was arrested on 10 June with 15 bricks of cocaine worth an estimated street value of R18 million, an AK-103 Rifle, Uzi Pro Rifle, five semi-automatic firearms and 130 rounds of ammunition inside a storage unit in Roeland Street.

His alleged accomplice, Christopher Carlese, 38, was nabbed on 13 July, but he claims he wasn’t at the scene that day and was chilling at his home in Kensington.

he accused were back in the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Friday to apply for bail, but instead the court heard that police officials have video footage, firearm links, and forensic evidence tying both manne to the stash.

According to court documents, Cupido immediately admitted to cops that the white powder was cocaine when they busted him at the storage unit.

Lieutenant-Colonel Christiaan van Renen, the investigating officer, said forensic results confirmed the drugs were linked to multiple international cartels.

Van Renen says: “I submit that the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from these facts is that [Cupido and Carelse] are so-called “first receivers” of the cocaine as it is smuggled into South Africa by international drug cartels.

“It was found that three of the firearms recovered were stolen during a business robbery in Boksburg in 2019. During the same robbery, 69 other firearms were also taken. 

“The other four firearms are not registered on the firearm system of South Africa.”

The court heard that Cupido rented unit 869 while Carlese rented unit 868, which are located next to each other.

The court further heard that video footage was obtained of the storage unit from 22 April to 10 June, which showed Cupido exiting the lift on the ground floor and walking towards a white Polo on 9 May.

Van Renen says: “The final photograph depicts certain items found by the police inside storage unit 868 as it was laid out on the ground in front of the unit.

“The box is open and a white object is partially visible inside. To the left, next to the brown cardboard box, are two stacks of compressed cocaine bricks.

The partially visible, white-coloured item inside the brown box has been identified as cocaine bricks that were found inside the brown cardboard box.

“I submit that the shape and dimensions of the box been carried by [Cupido] when compared with the box found in [Carelse’s unit] containing cocaine, are a match, according to my observations.”

The court heard that when Cupido was arrested he was in possession of two iPhones and an Apple Watch which he refused to hand over, however a cyber warrant to gain access to data is under way.

The case was postponed to 1 August for arguments.