Brigadier Ebrahim Kadwa
Acting Head: Organised Crime Investigations Component
Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation
SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE: TACKLING
DRUGS AND TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED
CRIME , ESPECIALLY COCAINE
TRAFFICKING
EU COCAINE CONFERENCE
ROME, ITALY
28-30 MAY 2013
Introduction
National Development Plan
Overview of South African drug scene
Cocaine trafficking dynamics
Cocaine case studies
Transnational Organised Crime: Key trends and developments
About the HAWKS
Counter-measures adopted
Walking the talk: Shared responsibility
Proposed way forward
SCOPE OF PRESENTATION
Shared responsibility is the key ingredient for tackling the
global drug problem
Globalisation propelling the unsavoury business of drugs
and Transnational Organised Crime (TOC)
Growing drug and TOC links between South Africa and
the EU Region
TOC poses a significant threat to SA
INTRODUCTION
In 2030, people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear
of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they
enjoy an active community life free of fear. Women can walk
freely in the streets and children can play safely outside. The
police service is a well resourced professional institution staffed
by highly skilled officers who value their work, serve the
community, safeguard lives and property without discrimination,
protect the peaceful against violence and respect the rights of
all to equality and justice
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PLAN: VISION FOR 2030
OVERVIEW OF SOUTH AFRICAN
DRUG SCENE
Biggest, most dynamic and lucrative organised crime activity in South
Africa
Poly drug market
Contemporary drug scene:
Cocaine
Heroin
Mandrax
Designer drugs (ATS)
Hydroponic cannabis
Drug trafficking organisations (DTO) employing well orchestrated
marketing strategies to make drugs more affordable and maximise
profits.
Brazil is the primary source
Majority of human couriers arrested in / en route to South Africa found with cocaine:
swallowers
body packs
ingenious concealments
Common smuggling methods involve human couriers, air/maritime freight and fast
parcels
Flexibility and constant rotation of routes made possible by extensive flight networks
Recruitment by deception or promises of large monetary payments
Target vulnerable persons
WAN are mainly behind trafficking and local distribution of cocaine
COCAINE TRAFFICKING DYNAMICS
EU Region
SADC
COCAINE TRAFFICKING FLOWS IMPACTING SOUTH AFRICA
Gulf States
South
Africa
South
America
LATEST COCAINE CONCEALMENT METHODS
DETECTED AT OR TAMBO AIRPPORT
NEW SHIRTS
CARDBOARD
SUPPORT
GOLDEN
RIBBONS AND
SUITCASE
LINING
PINK
THREADS
KNYSNA CASE STUDY
Local police crime intelligence monitored Chinese OCG for possible abalone
smuggling
A small fishing vessel (Toledo) that was returning from the high seas was searched
resulting in the seizure of 1.7 tons of cocaine
Biggest cocaine seizure in our history
Still speculating the origin and intended market for this seizure
GPS was analysed but because it was a busy maritime route we could not pinpoint
which mother ship could have offloaded this cocaine shipment
Enquiries conducted on the dolphin and 949 brand to determine possible origin
Several South African and Chinese citizens were arrested and convicted in South
Africa Several persons of Chinese decent immediately fled to Hong Kong and other Asian
countries This case study was discussed during Interpol Project White Flow to determine the
whereabouts and current activities of the Chinese persons at large
Initial detection of cannabis and heroin in air freight made at London
Heathrow Airport during 2009
Narcotics section alerted and instantly mounted investigations
DTO set up operational bases in Mozambique, Holland, Dubai, Cyprus,
UK, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Canada and South Africa
Opened front companies e.g. courier shops, export and import, battery
shops, pharmaceutical trade
Exploited legitimate trade to facilitate drug shipments and laundering
drug proceeds
50 million Euros worth of drugs seized
OPERATION PHOENIX 1
TRANSNATIONAL DRUG TRAFFICKING
Unit 12 Storage
Unlimited 988kg
Unit 9 Avoca
Multi Park 23 / 27
Columbine Place
Unit 343 Storage City
Unit 417 Storage City
Packaging
Evilox Batteries
STORAGE PLACES
12
Controlled Delivery Dec 2010: 312 kg cocaine container concealed between Bags
of Rice, additionally 78 000 MX Tablets and property confiscated
Simultaneous arrests in RSA (6 persons), UAE (4 persons) and the Netherlands (3
persons)
The convictions of the accused in South Africa:
Five of the accused were convicted and sentenced to a period of 12 years
imprisonment of which half is suspended whilst the one accused was acquitted
Additionally 637 Kg Cannabis Resin, 524 Kg Herbal Cannabis, 120000 Euros and
firearms confiscated in Amsterdam
Main Targets in Dubai arrested
OPERATION PHOENIX 2
During March 2012 the Brazilian Federal Police Liaison Officers alerted our Narcotics
Section of cocaine shipment that was sent to Nigeria in Maritime containers
Our SAPS Liaison Officer in Lagos was tasked to broker assistance from Nigerian
Authorities
NDLEA searched the containers and discovered 163kg cocaine
At this stage no arrests were made in Nigeria
We are investigating possible links between the above case and a previous seizure of 20kg
of cocaine that was discovered in a sports bag within a shipment of beef pancreas that was
imported by a company in Cape Town during July 2012. The company are not suspected of
any wrong doing as they are legitimate importers of beef pancreas for producing diabetic
insulin
In the beef pancreas container a second seal was discovered and we suspect that they had
inside contacts to have removed the cocaine
CASE STUDY: VESSEL MANDY
Organised crime development issue- socio-economic, porous borders and
corruption
New generation of network based Organised Crime Groups (OCG) and to a
lesser extent structured groups
Well entrenched domestic OCG
Growing involvement of foreign OCG
Highly sophisticated, well resourced and counter surveillance capabilities
Exploiting legitimate sector :
to facilitate trafficking of illicit goods within cover loads and for fronting
purposes
Justify lifestyle
Laundering proceeds of illicit activities
Employing specialist skills and professional services – tax consultants, Vets, etc.
TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED CRIME:
KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
ABOUT THE HAWKS
The DPCI officially established in July 2009 as a separate Directorate
within the South African Police Service
Primary functions are to prevent, combat and investigate national
priority offences:
Serious Corruption
Serious Commercial Crime
Serious Organised Crime
Maintain national competency for Crimes Against the State
(CATS)
Maintain high standards in enforcing integrity management
Adopt an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach
OPERATIONAL PRIORITIES
Narcotics
Illicit mining
Non-ferrous metals (especially copper theft)
Rhino poaching / Endangered Species
Vehicles
Cyber Crime (e.g. Credit card skimming)
Specific Violent Crime (ATM attacks, banks)
Human Trafficking / Smuggling
Illicit Tobacco
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
LEGAL REFORMS
World class Prevention of Organised Crime(POCA) legislation:
Criminalises Racketeering, Money Laundering and gang related activities
Criminal and Civil Forfeiture
Criminal Assets Recovery Account
Witness Protection Programme
Specific legislative provisions regulating undercover operations and traps
(Section 252(A))
Financial Intelligence Centre Act to combat money laundering related activities
Specialist Prosecutors dealing with Organised Crime cases
Combating TOC declared operational priority – value chain
analyses of criminal business system
Prioritising integrated intelligence – led operations against
high level OCG’s and DTO’s
Intensifying frontline enforcement at airports, harbours,
border posts and drug hotspots
Chemical Monitoring Programme
Special focus on targeting organisers behind drug couriers
Taking the profit away from crime by targeting assets of
DTO’s and OCG’s
OPERATIONAL TOOLKIT
REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
High premium on international cooperation
Engaged in several ongoing joint operations and real time intelligence sharing with law
enforcement partners
Optimally utilise Interpol tools and participating in Projects White Flow
Project Prism and Cohesion Taskforce initiatives
Prioritise SARPCCO cross border operations
Excellent support from foreign law enforcement agencies based in South Africa
Expansion of our Police Liaison network to strategically cover countries / regions
impacting on our drugs and TOC situation
Focus on illicit markets (Producing / Consumer Countries)
WALKING THE TALK: SHARED
RESPONSIBILITY
SAPS Role in International Arena through
INTERPOL
PERU
BRAZIL ARGENTINA
UNITED KINGDOM
NETHERLANDS
FRANCE IPSG
SENEGAL
NIGERIA
South SUDAN
KENYA
DRC ZAMBIA
ANGOLA
NAMIBIA
ZIMBABWE & RB MOZAMBIQUE
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
PAKISTAN THAILAND
INDIA
Placement of SAPS LO’s
PROPOSED WAY FORWARD
International cooperation be conducted in the real spirit of shared
responsibility
Exchange of real time intelligence
Joint operations targeting DTO and OCG operating between our
countries
Sharing of best practices
Bilateral Cooperation Agreements
Towards developing a new SAPS drug strategy
THANK YOU
Brigadier Ebrahim Kadwa
Tel: 012 846 3472
Cell: 082 778 9047
Email: [email protected]
ON A JOURNEY TO A SAFER
SOUTH AFRICA