Madlanga Commission | Hawks top cop denies involvement in R200 million cocaine theft

Warrant Officer Karl Sander of the Hawks told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday that police members were complicit in drug dealing in KwaZulu-Natal.

Warrant Officer Karl Sander underwent a polygraph test regarding the theft of 541kg of cocaine bricks worth R200 million despite never having worked at the Port Shepstone Hawks office where the drugs were stolen during a November 2021 burglary.

Sander, a senior investigator at Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) or the Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal, told the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday that although he was on leave when the Port Shepstone Hawks storage was burgled, he was still named a suspect in the cocaine theft.

"I was on leave when the said incident took place," he said.

He said several officers were sent for polygraphs over the theft, but KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major-General Lesetja Senona was not tested despite being present when the cocaine was booked into storage after the June 2021 bust.