Three men will appear in the Pretoria regional court today and tomorrow, 9 March 2010 for trial. The three accused are Wesley Patrick Sutherland 28, Kennedy Martins Dike 34 and Chris Chinomso Ben-Ezeik 30.
It is alleged that Mr Sutherland, who originally hails from Virginia in the Free State, was being used by the two other accused, both from Nigeria, to smuggle cocaine from Brazil to South Africa. The three men were arrested by the police in Centurion on 7 June 2009.
Four bullets of cocaine were found in the possession of Mr Sutherland and a further 61 bullets, which he had initially swallowed, were removed from his body at Kalafong Hospital in the Westrand. The three are accused of dealing in cocaine with a total mass of 499 grams, the street value of which is still to be determined.
It is further alleged that both Mr Dike and Mr Ben-Ezeik entered the country illegally from Nigeria. The three men have been in custody since their arrest and have never applied for bail. Their arrest came as a result of police following up confidential information on their activities.
As part of its focus in combating various forms of crime, the National Prosecuting Authority will work tirelessly with the police to ensure successful prosecutions in all crimes related to drug trafficking, which seems to be a growing problem in South Africa.
Contact:
Mthunzi Mhaga
Cell: 072 198 6863
E-mail: Mcmhaga@npa.gov.za
Issued by: National Prosecuting Authority
8 March 2010
Source: National Prosecuting Authority (http://www.npa.gov.za/)
