Police in KwaZulu-Natal have launched an urgent manhunt after a staggering R13 million worth of suspected cocaine was intercepted at the Durban Harbour in a high-stakes intelligence-driven operation.
The bust happened on Tuesday, 5 May, when officers zeroed in on a shipment flagged through prior intelligence linking drug trafficking routes between Gauteng and the port city.
According to SAPS, the operation, led by Durban Operational Response Services (ORS) and the Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) unit, uncovered 32 blocks of suspected cocaine ingeniously concealed inside the air conditioning compartment of imported buses.
The buses, shipped from South America and destined for Gauteng, are believed to be part of a broader international drug trafficking network.
“Intelligence indicated that drugs recovered in Gauteng in April had entered the country via Durban Harbour. This led to the profiling of specific vessels and ultimately the discovery,” police said.
Now, investigators are racing against time to identify those behind the shipment and the intended recipients, amid growing concern over sophisticated smuggling methods being used to infiltrate the country.
The latest seizure comes just weeks after another major crackdown in March, where five suspects aged between 22 and 41 were arrested in coordinated raids across eThekwini.
In that operation, the Provincial Organised Crime Narcotics and Organised Crime Threat Unit targeted four shops suspected of illegally selling cannabis in Umbilo, Amanzimtoti, Brighton Beach, and Montclair.
Search warrants were executed simultaneously, leading to the arrest of a key suspect and further discoveries at a residence in Yellowwood Park. Authorities placed the street value of the confiscated drugs at R1.3 million.
With back-to-back busts exposing the scale of the drug trade in the province, pressure is mounting on law enforcement to dismantle the networks fuelling the illicit flow.
Investigations in both cases remain ongoing.