Nearly 90 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth an estimated R36 million was seized by the Hawks and Customs officials at Durban Harbour after being discovered concealed inside excavators shipped from Brazil.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, has intercepted approximately 90 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth an estimated R36 million at the Port of Durban in a major blow to international drug trafficking networks.
The seizure was made on Saturday during a joint operation involving the Hawks' South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), Customs officials, Durban Visible Policing Operations (VPO) and the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC).
According to the Hawks, the drugs were discovered concealed inside two excavators that had arrived aboard the vessel Neptune Ace Tokyo from Santos, Brazil.
Authorities were first alerted by Customs officials after identifying suspicious cargo within an excavator that had been offloaded at the Q and R Car Terminal.
