Cape Town police seize cocaine worth R18m from storage unit

Fifteen bricks of cocaine worth an estimated R18m have been seized with several firearms, from a storage facility in the Cape Town CBD.

The police raid on a self-storage facility in Roeland Street on Tuesday also led to the arrest of a 40-year-old man for allegedly dealing in drugs and the unlawful possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

“Armed with intelligence about drugs and firearms being stored at the address, the officers operationalised the information and pounced on the self-storage facility where they found the suspect at one of the units,” said spokesperson Capt Frederick van Wyk.

“They conducted a search of the unit upon which they discovered 15 bricks of cocaine of about 15kg [1kg each] with an estimated street value of R18m as well as one AK-47 rifle, an Uzi, five 9mm pistols and an assortment of ammunition.”

The suspect is expected to appear in the Cape Town magistrate’s court soon.

The bust was the culmination of an intelligence-led operation by members of the police anti-gang unit, crime intelligence and provincial organised crime detectives.

Western Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile said the drugs and firearms could have caused havoc in the wrong hands in communities where gang and gun violence are prevalent.

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