The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched a search for suspects after cocaine valued at R13 million was seized at a Durban harbour last night.

SAPS spokesperson Robert Netshiunda says police had been profiling certain vessels after drugs were recovered in Gauteng in April, which indicated that the drugs had entered the country through the Durban port.

“During an operation involving officers from Durban Operational Response Services and the Serious Organised Crime Investigations Unit, 32 blocks of suspected cocaine were recovered concealed in the air-conditioning compartment of a bus. The buses were shipped into the country from a South American country and were destined for Gauteng province.”

He adds that investigations are underway to identify the suspects behind the shipment and the intended recipients.