An SA security guard has been nabbed in Mauritius after he allegedy swallowed 71 pellets of heroin worth almost R2m.
|||Durban - A South African security guard has been arrested in Mauritius after anti-smuggling authorities acted on information that he had swallowed 71 pellets of heroin worth almost R2 million.
Hendrick Gouws, 42, of Cape Town, was arrested less than 24 hours after another South African, Juric Johannes Botha, was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment in Mauritius for drug trafficking. He was arrested in 2009.
Two South African drug mules were also arrested in Argentina last week, bringing the total of South Africans arrested for drug-related crimes overseas to 17 since the beginning of the year.
Gouws, who had allegedly swallowed more than 500g of heroin, was arrested on Friday by the Mauritian Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, said Patricia Gerber, director of Locked Up, an organisation that assists South Africans incarcerated abroad.
She said Gouws had been interrogated and two Mauritians, who were allegedly expected to take delivery of the drugs, were also arrested.
Gerber said Gouws had been profiled by the ADSU when he left Cape Town for Mauritius.
It has been alleged that after interrogation he admitted to swallowing the drug-filled pellets.
Gouws allegedly told authorities that a Tanzanian national, who has been identified, had approached him to carry the drugs.
Gerber said her sources in Mauritius had reported that Gouws had been given instructions about how to make contact with the drug recipients.
A sting operation was set up and Gouws was taken to a hotel to make the delivery. After several telephone calls, an appointment to deliver the drugs was made.
This led to the arrest of Mauritians - Koumaren Arekin, 34, a dustman, and Ivan Sadien, 27, a plumber.
Gerber said Gouws and his co-accused had appeared in court on drug-trafficking charges at the weekend, and were now awaiting trial.
She said the families of the South Africans arrested in Argentina had contacted her, but she did not have more information on the arrests.
On Thursday, Botha was sentenced to 33 years in prison and a fine of 300 000 Mauritian rupees (about R98 000) by Judge Prithviraj Fekna.
Gerber, who has a copy of the judgment, said Botha, of Johannesburg, and a friend, Marisca Scannell, were arrested by the ADSU at the Plaisance Airport with 471.7g of heroin, in February 2009. Scannell was sentenced in May to 20 years in prison.
It emerged in court that Scannell drew the attention of the ADSU after several trips to Mauritius.
She had been suspected of being part of a drug trafficking network.
After her arrest Scannell was taken to hospital for a stomach wash and police recovered 41 pellets of heroin.
Botha had pleaded not guilty at the time.
In passing judgment, Fekna said Botha had tried to pretend he was not involved in drug trafficking. He also took into account that Botha had a previous criminal record.
The 1 520 days Botha spent in jail awaiting trial will be deducted from his sentence.
Gerber said Johannesburg hairdresser, Teresa Delores Louis Niemand, 26, who was arrested in Mauritius in January on drug trafficking charges, was awaiting trial.
She was allegedly arrested with 540g of heroin with a street value of eight million Mauritian rupees (approximately R2.6m).
The drugs were concealed in a brown hair braid, allegedly hidden in Niemand’s underwear.
Gerber said Niemand was interrogated about the source and destination of the drugs and an undercover operation was set up in Grand Bay which led to the arrest of a taxi driver, Kamal Azad Joomun, who incriminated a third suspect, Jean-Luc Philippe, as the kingpin. All three are awaiting trial.
Gerber said the more than 17 South Africans arrested abroad on drug-related charges since January were in jail in Miami, Mauritius, Benin, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Bolivia and Italy.
More than 25 South Africans were serving time in Mauritian prisons alone on drug-related charges, she said, adding that their families faced huge financial and emotional stress.
Her own son was arrested in Mauritius in 2005, for drug trafficking.
“Most of us have to send between R1 000 and R3 000 a month to our children who are languishing in overseas prisons.
“With the foreign exchange rate this is a pittance most times.” Gerber said South African drug mules barely survived on this.
Department of Correctional Services spokesman, Koos Gerber, denied that the government was delaying looking into the issue of prisoner transfer agreements.
“The ministers of Correctional Services and International Relations and Co-operation were requested by the cabinet to submit a joint cabinet memorandum on foreigners in South African correctional centres and abroad to develop recommendations on how best to deal with the matter,” he said.
“The consultation process with all relevant justice, crime prevention and security departments was concluded.
“The cabinet is now being approached for the approval of a South African policy position with regard to prisoner transfer agreements.”
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman, Clayson Monyela, could not be reached for comment by time of publication.
yogas.nair@inl.co.za
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