Brigadier Ebrahim Kadwa

Acting Head: Organised Crime Investigations Component

Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation

SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE: TACKLING

DRUGS AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED

CRIME , ESPECIALLY COCAINE

TRAFFICKING

EU COCAINE CONFERENCE

ROME, ITALY

28-30 MAY 2013

Introduction

National Development Plan

Overview of South African drug scene

Cocaine trafficking dynamics

Cocaine case studies

Transnational Organised Crime: Key trends and developments

About the HAWKS

Counter-measures adopted

Walking the talk: Shared responsibility

Proposed way forward

SCOPE OF PRESENTATION

Shared responsibility is the key ingredient for tackling the

global drug problem

Globalisation propelling the unsavoury business of drugs

and Transnational Organised Crime (TOC)

Growing drug and TOC links between South Africa and

the EU Region

TOC poses a significant threat to SA

INTRODUCTION

In 2030, people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear

of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they

enjoy an active community life free of fear. Women can walk

freely in the streets and children can play safely outside. The

police service is a well resourced professional institution staffed

by highly skilled officers who value their work, serve the

community, safeguard lives and property without discrimination,

protect the peaceful against violence and respect the rights of

all to equality and justice

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

PLAN: VISION FOR 2030

OVERVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICAN

DRUG SCENE

Biggest, most dynamic and lucrative organised crime activity in South

Africa

Poly drug market

Contemporary drug scene:

Cocaine

Heroin

Mandrax

Designer drugs (ATS)

Hydroponic cannabis

Drug trafficking organisations (DTO) employing well orchestrated

marketing strategies to make drugs more affordable and maximise

profits.

Brazil is the primary source

Majority of human couriers arrested in / en route to South Africa found with cocaine:

swallowers

body packs

ingenious concealments

Common smuggling methods involve human couriers, air/maritime freight and fast

parcels

Flexibility and constant rotation of routes made possible by extensive flight networks

Recruitment by deception or promises of large monetary payments

Target vulnerable persons

WAN are mainly behind trafficking and local distribution of cocaine

COCAINE TRAFFICKING DYNAMICS

EU Region

SADC

COCAINE TRAFFICKING FLOWS IMPACTING SOUTH AFRICA

Gulf States

South

Africa

South

America

LATEST COCAINE CONCEALMENT METHODS

DETECTED AT OR TAMBO AIRPPORT

NEW SHIRTS

CARDBOARD

SUPPORT

GOLDEN

RIBBONS AND

SUITCASE

LINING

PINK

THREADS

KNYSNA CASE STUDY

Local police crime intelligence monitored Chinese OCG for possible abalone

smuggling

A small fishing vessel (Toledo) that was returning from the high seas was searched

resulting in the seizure of 1.7 tons of cocaine

Biggest cocaine seizure in our history

Still speculating the origin and intended market for this seizure

GPS was analysed but because it was a busy maritime route we could not pinpoint

which mother ship could have offloaded this cocaine shipment

Enquiries conducted on the dolphin and 949 brand to determine possible origin

Several South African and Chinese citizens were arrested and convicted in South

Africa Several persons of Chinese decent immediately fled to Hong Kong and other Asian

countries This case study was discussed during Interpol Project White Flow to determine the

whereabouts and current activities of the Chinese persons at large

Initial detection of cannabis and heroin in air freight made at London

Heathrow Airport during 2009

Narcotics section alerted and instantly mounted investigations

DTO set up operational bases in Mozambique, Holland, Dubai, Cyprus,

UK, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Canada and South Africa

Opened front companies e.g. courier shops, export and import, battery

shops, pharmaceutical trade

Exploited legitimate trade to facilitate drug shipments and laundering

drug proceeds

50 million Euros worth of drugs seized

OPERATION PHOENIX 1

TRANSNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING

Unit 12 Storage

Unlimited 988kg

Unit 9 Avoca

Multi Park 23 / 27

Columbine Place

Unit 343 Storage City

Unit 417 Storage City

Packaging

Evilox Batteries

STORAGE PLACES

12

Controlled Delivery Dec 2010: 312 kg cocaine container concealed between Bags

of Rice, additionally 78 000 MX Tablets and property confiscated

Simultaneous arrests in RSA (6 persons), UAE (4 persons) and the Netherlands (3

persons)

The convictions of the accused in South Africa:

Five of the accused were convicted and sentenced to a period of 12 years

imprisonment of which half is suspended whilst the one accused was acquitted

Additionally 637 Kg Cannabis Resin, 524 Kg Herbal Cannabis, 120000 Euros and

firearms confiscated in Amsterdam

Main Targets in Dubai arrested

OPERATION PHOENIX 2

During March 2012 the Brazilian Federal Police Liaison Officers alerted our Narcotics

Section of cocaine shipment that was sent to Nigeria in Maritime containers

Our SAPS Liaison Officer in Lagos was tasked to broker assistance from Nigerian

Authorities

NDLEA searched the containers and discovered 163kg cocaine

At this stage no arrests were made in Nigeria

We are investigating possible links between the above case and a previous seizure of 20kg

of cocaine that was discovered in a sports bag within a shipment of beef pancreas that was

imported by a company in Cape Town during July 2012. The company are not suspected of

any wrong doing as they are legitimate importers of beef pancreas for producing diabetic

insulin

In the beef pancreas container a second seal was discovered and we suspect that they had

inside contacts to have removed the cocaine

CASE STUDY: VESSEL MANDY

Organised crime development issue- socio-economic, porous borders and

corruption

New generation of network based Organised Crime Groups (OCG) and to a

lesser extent structured groups

Well entrenched domestic OCG

Growing involvement of foreign OCG

Highly sophisticated, well resourced and counter surveillance capabilities

Exploiting legitimate sector :

to facilitate trafficking of illicit goods within cover loads and for fronting

purposes

Justify lifestyle

Laundering proceeds of illicit activities

Employing specialist skills and professional services – tax consultants, Vets, etc.

TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME:

KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

ABOUT THE HAWKS

The DPCI officially established in July 2009 as a separate Directorate

within the South African Police Service

Primary functions are to prevent, combat and investigate national

priority offences:

Serious Corruption

Serious Commercial Crime

Serious Organised Crime

Maintain national competency for Crimes Against the State

(CATS)

Maintain high standards in enforcing integrity management

Adopt an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach

OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES

Narcotics

Illicit mining

Non-ferrous metals (especially copper theft)

Rhino poaching / Endangered Species

Vehicles

Cyber Crime (e.g. Credit card skimming)

Specific Violent Crime (ATM attacks, banks)

Human Trafficking / Smuggling

Illicit Tobacco

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

LEGAL REFORMS

World class Prevention of Organised Crime(POCA) legislation:

Criminalises Racketeering, Money Laundering and gang related activities

Criminal and Civil Forfeiture

Criminal Assets Recovery Account

Witness Protection Programme

Specific legislative provisions regulating undercover operations and traps

(Section 252(A))

Financial Intelligence Centre Act to combat money laundering related activities

Specialist Prosecutors dealing with Organised Crime cases

Combating TOC declared operational priority – value chain

analyses of criminal business system

Prioritising integrated intelligence – led operations against

high level OCG’s and DTO’s

Intensifying frontline enforcement at airports, harbours,

border posts and drug hotspots

Chemical Monitoring Programme

Special focus on targeting organisers behind drug couriers

Taking the profit away from crime by targeting assets of

DTO’s and OCG’s

OPERATIONAL TOOLKIT

REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

High premium on international cooperation

Engaged in several ongoing joint operations and real time intelligence sharing with law

enforcement partners

Optimally utilise Interpol tools and participating in Projects White Flow

Project Prism and Cohesion Taskforce initiatives

Prioritise SARPCCO cross border operations

Excellent support from foreign law enforcement agencies based in South Africa

Expansion of our Police Liaison network to strategically cover countries / regions

impacting on our drugs and TOC situation

Focus on illicit markets (Producing / Consumer Countries)

WALKING THE TALK: SHARED

RESPONSIBILITY

SAPS Role in International Arena through

INTERPOL

PERU

BRAZIL ARGENTINA

UNITED KINGDOM

NETHERLANDS

FRANCE IPSG

SENEGAL

NIGERIA

South SUDAN

KENYA

DRC ZAMBIA

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

ZIMBABWE & RB MOZAMBIQUE

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

PAKISTAN THAILAND

INDIA

Placement of SAPS LO’s

PROPOSED WAY FORWARD

International cooperation be conducted in the real spirit of shared

responsibility

Exchange of real time intelligence

Joint operations targeting DTO and OCG operating between our

countries

Sharing of best practices

Bilateral Cooperation Agreements

Towards developing a new SAPS drug strategy

THANK YOU

Brigadier Ebrahim Kadwa

Tel: 012 846 3472

Cell: 082 778 9047

Email: kadwae@saps.org.za

ON A JOURNEY TO A SAFER

SOUTH AFRICA