Madlanga Commission probes R300m Aeroton cocaine seizure as officer set to testify

Officer due to give evidence

Hawks officer Lieutenant-Colonel Nkoana Joseph Sebola is expected to testify at 9:30am as the commission examines the Aeroton operation.

Details of the Aeroton seizure

The commission will hear evidence about a July 2021 operation in Aeroton, Gauteng, in which police intercepted a truck carrying 751 kilograms of cocaine that was allegedly shipped from Brazil. The drugs were given an estimated street value of R300 million.

Wider inquiry into theft and storage failures

The Aeroton matter forms part of a broader inquiry following a week of testimony about the theft of seized narcotics and alleged failures in the storage of drug evidence in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Two major cases under scrutiny

Commissioners have been examining two major cocaine cases that raised concerns about accountability within law enforcement:

• The Aeroton seizure in Gauteng
• The theft of cocaine worth about R200 million from Hawks offices in Port Shepstone

Questions about handling and storage

Last week, Colonel Gavin Jacob of the Serious Organised Crime Unit acknowledged there were discrepancies and contradictions in how the Aeroton case was handled. He came under scrutiny for the decision to store the seized cocaine at a facility described to the commission as poorly secured.

The inquiry is expected to further examine whether failures in the handling and storage of the drug evidence were deliberate or the result of other factors.