Wednesday, June 30, 1999

Top drug-cop's property attached

The National Directorate of Public Prosecutions on Wednesday attached property belonging to the former head of the Durban narcotics bureau. Directorate spokesman Sipho Ngwema said the property of Superintendent Piet Meyer was impounded in terms of a provision of the Organised Crime Act. The unit is said to have removed three truck loads of goods from Meyer's house in Umkomaas, south of Durban. Ngwema said Meyer was under investigation on charges of theft, fraud, defeating the ends of justice and racketeering.

Meyer was being investigated in connection with the distribution of R200 000 in forged old bank notes and R10 000 stolen from a safe while he was head of the narcotics bureau.The theft was not reported. He is also being investigated in connection with running a casino. It was also alleged he received R10 000 a month as protection money from illegal casino owners to prevent their operations being shut down.

The head of the assets and forfeiture unit of the directorate, Willie Hofmeyer, said Meyer's expenditure for the past two-and-a-half years came to nearly half a million rand, while his salary was R155000 per annum. The unit attached his 4-wheel drive vehicle, lounge suite, refrigerator and stove, and he was given 14 days to go to court to convince it that he did not receive this property through illegal means.

In a statement, provincial police commissioner Chris Serfontein said the investigation was started by his office in December 1997. "The case was investigated by the South African Police Service for nine to ten months whereafter Bululani Ngcuka was appointed and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions established," Serfontein said.

Source: IoL

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