Fisheries Department didn’t know about cocaine smuggling off SA’s coastal waters.
South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said it didn’t know about a link between cocaine smuggling and abalone poaching. However, it said joint operations were underway.
It said it had no knowledge of a report linking Hout Bay’s abalone-poaching economy to offshore cocaine trafficking.
The department made the admission after People’s Post had sent questions. This followed its investigation into criminal networks allegedly using poaching vessels as cover for offshore cocaine retrievals.
Its Director of Communications and Advocacy, Zolile Nqayi, responded: “The department is not aware of the GI-Toc [Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime] report’s findings.
The South African Police Service will be made aware of this for further investigation through existing structures such as Initiative 5 of Phakisa.”
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https://novanews.co.za/peoplespost/fisheries-department-cocaine-poaching-link-hout-bay-phakisa/
