R6.1m worth of illegally acquired assets in major State seizure |17 June 2016

Assets worth R6.1 million belonging to one of eight suspected drug traffickers  which the Supreme Court have ordered seized are now in the possession of the State.

They are a property, a car hire business of 12 cars and a bank account.

The seized assets are expected to be disposed of through public tender and the proceeds will go into drug rehabilitation programmes.

Giving details yesterday afternoon on what he described as a major success in the fight against drug trafficking, the Minister for Home Affairs Charles Bastienne commended the concerted inter-agency work -- Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), National Drugs Enforcement Agency (NDEA), police, Attorney General’s office and others -- which has led to the successful outcome of this case.

This was in the presence of Attorney General Rony Govinden; Liam Quinn, Deputy Chief Officer of the NDEA; Niall Scully NDEA's Chief Officer and Finbarr O’Leary, Deputy Director of the FIU.

It was on May 20 last month that the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The case and others had been before the Court since February/March. 

“The individual pleaded guilty in view of the overwhelming evidence against him,” Minister Bastienne said.

Meanwhile Minister Bastienne said the inter-agencies are continuing their hard work with the aim of securing successful outcomes on the remaining cases.

It is to be recalled that in his State of the Nation Address in February President James Michel pointed out that eight individuals, suspected drug traffickers, were being investigated and under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) they are required to justify the source of their assets and if they fail to do so the State will confiscate the assets considered illegally acquired.

Following the completion of this particular case Minister Bastienne noted that three others are ongoing while the suspects in the four other cases are not in the country but work has been intensified to repatriate them to face justice as soon as possible.

“We are really satisfied with the work done to reach this successful outcome and we are counting on the continued good cooperation between the different agencies for similar outcomes in the other cases,” Minister Bastienne pointed out.

He noted that our people have long been crying out for people involved in trafficking drug to be brought to justice and stop enriching themselves from the suffering of families and the young people who are falling prey to the poison they are selling them.

“As government we have a duty to come up with rehabilitation programmes to nurse them back to health,” Minister Bastienne pointed out.

Minister Bastienne further noted that it would have been to the satisfaction of society that such individual be put behind bars but the law has to be respected. He stressed that the fact remains that he has been deprived from enjoying  the fruits of his ill-gotten assets and if ever other suspicions arise the individual would be investigated and closely monitored again.

Adding his voice to that of Minister Bastienne, AG Govinden said the value of the assets is considerably consequential and it is the greatest success of the Supreme Court  since we have been engaged in the  fight against drug trafficking in the country.

“The case sends an immediate and clear message to all traffickers and individuals out there that the country and the authorities are working hard and will not let them off lightly,” Mr Govinden stressed.

Mr Scully from the NDEA said the individual, who has been under close surveillance for the past two to three years, remains a person of interest even though the case is through.