After a triumphant 10 months working alongside Australian and US counterparts clamping down on international drug syndicates, the Hawks are deeply embarrassed by the theft of cocaine worth R200m from one of their offices.
Policing experts say the break-in at a building in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, reveals a negligence so severe that it is suspicious.
The 541kg of cocaine, confiscated in June, was being stored in a safe on the ground floor, highly placed sources told the Sunday Times this week. The suspects gained entry into the building by forcing open the windows.
When a team from the Sunday Times visited the building this week, they found that dozens of windows on the front and sides of the two-storey building have no burglar bars. No security cameras or guards were seen.
A neighbouring business owner — who was asked by the Hawks after the burglary if he had camera footage of the incident — said there had been no outward sign of a break-in. “They didn’t even have a guard on duty when this incident supposedly took place. I drove to their building after to see if there were signs of a break-in. There were none.”
Last week, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) national head, Lt-Gen Godfrey Lebeya, appointed deputy national head Lt-Gen Tebello Constance Mosikili to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances of the theft, which occurred between Saturday November 8 and Monday November 10.
In March, the Hawks' South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau became part of elite operations against the global drug trade that saw local authorities collaborate with Australian and US counterparts to intercept more than R1bn worth of cocaine in five busts around the country. They arrested key syndicate figureheads and seized four tonnes of the drug.
The cocaine stolen in Port Shepstone had originally been seized in June after being found hidden in a container bound for Gauteng, and supposedly filled with animal food, at a depot in Isipingo, south of Durban.
Institute for Security Studies policing researcher Johan Burger said the “severe negligence around the safeguarding of the drugs was suspicious”.
“One is inclined to conclude that the lack of proper safety mechanisms was done on purpose — and that is a very serious possibility,” said Burger.
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime drug expert Jason Eligh said the theft raised scepticism among observers of South African law enforcement.
“You can’t help but look at this situation with a great deal of suspicion and scepticism — that such a vast volume of cocaine has vanished from the protection of one of the most elite divisions of law enforcement in SA,” said Eligh.
Hawks spokesperson Brig Nomthandazo Mbambo said: “The suspects gained entry into the building by forcing open the windows. One of the safes in the office, used to store exhibits, was tampered with. The suspects stole 541kg of cocaine with the street value of R200m.”
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said Port Shepstone police were investigating a case of business robbery at the Hawks’ serious organised crime office.
Detailed questions regarding security measures were put to Hawks and SAPS officials, including who had the keys to the safe, why the consignment was taken to Port Shepstone and whether the haul had been taken for forensic analysis. They declined to comment.
A manager at a company across the road said they had also been approached by Hawks members and asked if they had camera footage of the incident.
“I don’t understand why they don’t have their own security cameras,” he said.
According to Burger, Hawks offices are notorious for being insecure.
“At the Hawks head office in Pretoria they have broken in twice that I know of and stolen their computers. This is worrying, because those computers usually have sensitive information. How on earth is that possible?” he said.
A ton of cocaine seized in Saldanha Bay on March 1 by Western Cape narcotics unit members was the opening salvo against drug cartels that marked the unprecedented co-operation between South African law enforcement authorities and their international partners — until the disappearance of the cocaine from the Hawks office.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.