Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
05 February 2026

Nearly R200 million worth of cocaine vanished from police custody in KZN – five years later, no arrests and no answers.

Nearly R200 million worth of cocaine – a staggering 541 kilograms has disappeared from a police facility in KwaZulu-Natal almost five years ago, and no arrests have been made. The case, which should have triggered immediate internal alarms and urgent criminal investigations, has instead become a symbol of what critics describe as deep-rooted corruption and collapsing accountability in South Africa’s law enforcement system.

Special Investigator Mike Bolhuis says while theft from SAPS evidence storage facilities is not new, the sheer scale of this incident points to something far more sinister.

“The shocking thing is this is clearly not alleged. This is clearly an organised crime. It’s been planned, only been executed by involvement,” Bolhuis said.

The matter has resurfaced amid reports that the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss is now facing possible removal a development that adds further pressure on senior officials to explain how more than half a ton of drugs could vanish under state custody with seemingly no consequences.

Bolhuis described the circumstances surrounding the disappearance as “mayhem,” claiming the facility lacked effective security and that the investigation itself was deliberately compromised.

“It was stolen there was no real security, cameras that didn’t work. And then obviously, the investigation was stalled and hampered and just got nowhere,” he said.

He also criticised the lack of basic accountability measures that should automatically follow when high-value contraband goes missing.

“Lifestyle audits independent oversight did any of this happen? No,” Bolhuis stated.

According to him, the renewed scrutiny comes after recent revelations by senior figures in KwaZulu-Natal, which he believes has “opened the can of worms.” Bolhuis warned that what is emerging publicly is damaging trust in government and the criminal justice system.

“It causes much more harm and much more distrust It’s come to a point where we need a complete change in our government, complete change in our safety and security industry,” he said.

Bolhuis further argued that honest officers within SAPS are both outnumbered and intimidated into silence.

“There’s not many good cops left, there’s maybe 20 to 10%. And even then [they] are extremely intimidated threatened and even killed,” he said.

The disappearance of the cocaine, Bolhuis believes, is unlikely to have been consumed locally and instead “fell within a distribution chain somewhere,” highlighting how criminal networks may be operating from within the state itself.