Drug accused don’t get bail
EIGHT men are facing the possibility of 25 years behind bars as the state attempts to prove that they belong to a large drug syndicate.
In June, the police raided two luxury homes in Durban’s Highway area. In the first raid, conducted at a Hillcrest home, four men — Denver Joseph, Gonasagren Mooroogasen, Norman Reyneud and Jerrico Chetty — were taken into custody and charged with dealing in or possession of illegal substances, as well as manufacturing illegal substances.
In the second raid, which took place a few weeks later, the police swooped on an upmarket Kloof home where Chinese internationals Wing Lik Wong and Kin Hung Yip were arrested along with Cape Town resident Warren Daniels and “homeowner” Junaid Rasool.
Rasool named businessman Duncan Naidoo as the man who asked him to buy the Kloof property for R3.8-million in his name. The police are now investigating Naidoo.
In both raids, the police found traces of methaqualone, the active ingredient in Mandrax.
The police say two of the Hillcrest four were destroying equipment nec- essary to manufacture drugs when the raid took place, while the remaining two were outside the building in a car that is believed to have been used to transport the chemicals.
On Friday, the two separate bail application cases were heard at the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate Wendy Robinson and magistrate Queen Khuzwayo denied bail to the eight suspects, noting that the state had made strong cases.
“After the arrest of the accused, the state seized documents, which they are currently investigating, that could show a link to a drug syndicate,” said Robinson.
She added that there was a possibility that the two cases could be brought together to be dealt with simultaneously.
During her judgment, Khuzwayo singled out the two foreigners in the dock, stating that they were in the country illegally and “not ashamed to say it”.
Khuzwayo also berated Rasool, who claims to work for Naidoo, saying he had given “a long, soppy story about a man who paid for the house” during his bail application.
Both cases were remanded to next month. All the suspects will remain in custody.