Man appears in court for R4m heroin bust at upmarket Ballito home

The sole suspect in a massive heroin bust in the upmarket Zimbali Wedge townhouse in Ballito has appeared in court, the Hawks said on Monday.

KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said Siza Dipoko, a 37-year-old foreign national, was arrested for being in possession of R4m worth of heroin over the weekend.

He was remanded after his appearance in court on Monday.

“He will appear again next week for a formal bail application.”

News24 reported that he was arrested after the police found heroin and other items in the upmarket house on Friday.

Mhlongo said the Hawks were tipped off about a consignment of heroin from overseas that was being stored in the Zimbali townhouse.

Dipoko was renting another townhouse not far from the alleged stash. He was using the apartment as a storage facility.

The Hawks used a description provided to them to identify and confronted him as he was entering the premises.

Mhlongo said Dipoko had put up a fight but was contained. More than 16kg of heroin, cash and other paraphernalia were seized.

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