Another Highway drug den raided

YET another  drug den was busted in the Highway area when police arrested two men earlier this week for being in possession of R85-million worth of ecstasy tablets.

The National Crime Intelligence Unit, the National Investigation Unit (NINU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) have jointly made yet another major breakthrough in the drug-trafficking world.

According to Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale, the team arrested two men, Valari Nikolov (41), a Bulgarian national, and Durban club owner, Gregory Lyris (45) at the Middleburg Toll Plaza on the N4 late on Tuesday (4 November) night. They were found in possession of ecstasy tablets with a street value of up to R85-million, which were being transported in a light delivery vehicle destined for Durban.

Following these arrests, a second team, comprising of the same disciplines from the SAPS, raided a house in Konigkramer Street in Westville. The team recovered precursor chemicals, which are commonly used in the manufacturing of drugs, particularly cocaine. They also recovered a bulk of powdered chemicals which are suspected to have been used in manufacturing illicit narcotics. They arrested the owner of the house and two of his employees.

Police said Lyris and the owner of the house in Westville are business partners. They own clubs on the famous Florida Road in Durban and in other parts of the Musgrave area.

“In the meantime, the drugs and chemicals are being sent for forensic analysis and, on completion of the analysis, charges will be determined and the suspects formally charged,” said Lt Gen Makgale.

Lt Gen Makgale added that if the results of the analysis return positive, the men will appear in court again on Friday, but could not confirm which court they would appear in.