The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), through the Serious Organised Crime Investigation’s (SOCI) South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB), together with officials from Customs, the Durban Visible Policing Operations (VPO), and the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), seized approximately 90 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of R36 million at the Durban Harbour on 6 June 2026.
Members of the SANEB Section attached to Durban SOCI were alerted by a Customs official to suspected cocaine concealed within an excavator that had arrived at the Q and R Car Terminal aboard the vessel Neptune Ace Tokyo from Santos, Brazil.
Upon arrival, the scene was handed over to DPCI members by Customs officials. A thorough inspection of the excavator revealed suspicious packages concealed within a panel leading to the engine compartment. Further examination resulted in the seizure of 47 blocks containing a powdered substance suspected to be cocaine.
While…
