Sars drugs bust: R1.3bn worth of pure cocaine seized at Durban harbour

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has seized 300kg of pure cocaine – estimated to be worth R1.3 billion – from a container ship at the Durban harbour, the revenue collector said on Friday.

The drug bust came after Sars and the South African Police Service (SAPS) partnered on week-long investigation of the ship which is believed to have come from South America.

“The Sars Marine unit, Durban Operations, SAPS Crime Intelligence and National Detective Services boarded the vessel heading from South America to secure several containers that were profiled by Sars,” it said in a statement.

“The containers were inspected after they were unloaded in the Durban harbour. The inspection revealed zinc metal products and several black bags containing 378 bricks of pure cocaine,” Sars added.

According to the Sars report, officials found what appeared to be phone tracking devices along with the illicit cargo. All of these items have been handed over to the police for further investigation.

“By working together, government has shown once again that it is determined to fight the scourge of narcotics entering the country and destroying the lives of its users, especially the youth,” Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter said.

“SARS will not tolerate these illegal activities but will rather continue to fulfil its mandate of facilitating legal trade to further economic development of our country,” Mr Kieswetter said.