Drugs stolen from cop storeroom

2009-07-03 21:14

Johannesburg - Mandrax tablets valued close to R4m were stolen from the storeroom of the police's organised crime unit in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga police said on Friday.

Captain Leonard Hlathi said members of the unit discovered their storeroom had been broken into on Wednesday and 75 000 tablets worth R3.75m had been taken.

The drugs had allegedly been seized from a Mozambican man Issufo Issufo Pirgy at the Lebombo border on June 25.

He was arrested and charged for trying to smuggle drugs into the country.

Hlathi said Commissioner Rex Machabi had given the unit an ultimatum to find the people who stole the tablets or face the consequences.

"He told them to arrest the suspects in the next 30 days, as from today [Friday] or all of them will be removed from the unit."

Hlathi said the investigating officer on Pirgy's case should have taken the drugs to forensics for safe-keeping.

He said Pirgy was in police custody and would appear in the Malelane Magistrate's Court on July 14.
 

- SAPA