The Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court has sentenced the third accused in a R400 million drug bust to an effective eight-years behind bars. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)
The Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court has sentenced the third accused in a R400 million drug bust to an effective eight-years behind bars, and he will forfeit R2m to the State as part of his sentence.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the court further ordered Ebrahim Kara, 40, to surrender the 672 bricks of cocaine found in a truck he was driving, to the State.
Kara, Elias Radebe and Meshack Mzungezi Ngobese were arrested after they were found with the cocaine haul last year.
“Radebe was sentenced to an effective year of imprisonment while Ngobese was sentenced to six years of direct imprisonment. Both accused entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State,” Ntabazalila said.
“In his plea and sentencing agreement, the father of five, business owner and IT consultant confessed to supplying Radebe with a truck to drive to Gauteng to collect the drugs and return them to Cape Town.
“After the truck was loaded with the drugs in Gauteng, Radebe collected Ngobese, who was staying in the province. They both drove down to Cape Town, with the drugs packed into a crate.
“On August 4, 2022, they handed the truck over to Kara at N1 City, Goodwood. They remained at N1 City while he drove away in the direction of Athlone,” Ntabazalila said.
Kara said he was stopped by police while driving in Athlone and they asked for his permission to search the vehicle.
Radebe and Ngobese were also arrested and the three men were present when police searched the truck and found the 672 bricks of cocaine concealed inside pine sheets.
“Senior State advocate Peter-John Damon told the court that the seized cocaine was not for their consumption but for the commercial purpose of exporting and selling.
“He said the substance was highly addictive to both physical and mental health, and that the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court has a high frequency of offences of drug dealing,” Ntabazalila said.
Kara was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, of which seven years were suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of Section 4 or 5 of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992 during the period of suspension.
Cape Times