The South African Police Service is destroying R90 million worth of drugs in Cape Town today, including tik, cocaine and mandrax.

The drugs were confiscated during police operations in the Eastern and Western Cape over the past several months.

This is the fourth drug destruction in this financial year, the most recent one was in Gauteng in October where R800 million worth of drugs were destroyed.

In Cape Town in September 2023 1,7 tons of drugs was destroyed, to the value of R170 million.

Some of the drugs that was destroyed today include those that were seized during various drug busts:

• A case in Vredenburg where police operationalised information and proceeded to an address where a truck loaded with R10 million worth of mandrax tablets were seized. In this case, four suspects were arrested.
• In Beaufort West, Mandrax worth R2,5 million was seized and the accused was convicted and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
• In another case in Beaufort West, R18 million worth of Tik was seized. The accused were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
• In another case in Swellendam, R4,5 million worth of Mandrax tablets were seized. The accused persons were sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.

Over 20 tons of drugs, with an estimated street value of R2 billion, was destroyed over the 2022/2023 financial year alone.

Towards the end of 2023 police also seized more than R360-million worth of cocaine that arrived from Brazil. In one incident, the cocaine was concealed in meat boxes.

This as a trafficking conduit between Brazil and Durban has reportedly been used for more than two decades.

In August 2022, three Cape Town men were arrested after a truck transporting more than 600 blocks of cocaine – worth R400 million – was stopped by police and the drugs were discovered hidden in false wooden boards.