An effective eight years in prison have been handed down to the third accused in the R400 million drug bust in the Western Cape.
Also read: R400 million cocaine bust – three arrested in Cape Town
Ebrahim Kara admitted to providing one of his co-accused with a truck to drive to Gauteng in order to pick up the drugs and bring them back to Cape Town during a plea and sentence agreement heard in the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court.
Speaking to IOL on behalf of the Provincial NPA, Eric Ntabazalila stated that Kara had to forfeit R2 million to the State as part of his sentence.
‘The court further ordered Kara to surrender the 672 bricks of cocaine, which were found in a truck he was driving, to the State.’
Meshack Mzungezi Ngobese (47) and Elias Radebe (42), Kara’s co-accused, were taken into custody when they were discovered driving on the N1 highway in August 2022 with the cocaine haul.
Earlier this month, they received a sentence.
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Ngobese received a sentence of six years of direct imprisonment, while Radebe received an effective year of imprisonment.
Both defendants agreed to a plea and sentence with the State.
According to Kara’s plea and sentencing agreement, Radebe picked up Ngobese, who was staying in the province, after the truck was loaded with drugs in Gauteng. Kara is a father of five, a business owner, and an IT consultant.
‘They both drove down to Cape Town, with the drugs packed into a crate.’
Kara said on August 4, 2022, he took the truck to N1 City, Goodwood.
‘They remained at N1 City, Goodwood, while I drove away in the direction of Athlone.’
Kara (40) also admitted that he was pulled over by police in Athlone and that they asked for his consent to search the car.
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‘Radebe and Ngobese were also arrested, and all three men were present when police searched the truck and found the 672 bricks of cocaine concealed inside pine sheets.’
Senior State Attorney Peter-John Damon informed the court that the cocaine had been taken for commercial purposes – that is, for export and sale – rather than for personal use.
‘He said the substance was highly addictive to both physical and mental health, and that the Khayelitsha Priority Crimes Court has a high frequency of offences of drug dealing.’
Kara was given a 15-year prison sentence, of which seven years were suspended for five years, provided that no violations of Sections 4 or 5 of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act 140 of 1992 were committed by him during that time, according to Ntabazalila.
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Picture: Colin Davis / Unsplash