A Senior Cop Just Admitted He Thinks the R200 Million Cocaine Theft Was an Inside Job
A suspended Hawks commander has told a formal commission of inquiry that the scene of one of South Africa’s biggest drug heists was almost certainly staged — and that only law enforcement officers knew where the cocaine was hidden. Over two years later, not a single arrest has been made.
What Actually Happened
In June 2021, Hawks investigators seized 541kg of suspected cocaine worth R200 million from a depot in Isipingo, KwaZulu-Natal. The drugs, packed into 27 bags, were moved to the Hawks’ Port Shepstone offices because other police stations had no space.
Between November 6 and 8, 2021 — days after the local government elections — intruders broke into the building, cut open a heavy-duty safe with a grinder, and walked out with all of it. Every single bag. Gone.
The Man Who Chose That Building Is Now Pointing Fingers
Brigadier Campbell Nyuswa, the suspended Provincial Commander for Serious Organised Crime Investigation in KZN, personally recommended storing the cocaine at Port Shepstone. He knew the alarm failed during load shedding. He chose the location anyway.
Now, testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, Nyuswa says he believed the crime scene was fabricated. His reasoning? He was convinced the strongroom could not be opened without a key — yet someone opened it.
“I suspected the crime scene was staged because I was under the impression that the strongroom can never be accessed without a key,” Nyuswa told the commission.
He also admitted he never said this out loud at the time. He stayed silent while investigators processed a scene he privately believed was fake.
Only Cops Knew Where the Drugs Were
This is the detail that should make your stomach drop. Nyuswa confirmed before the commission that only law enforcement officials knew the exact location of the R200 million cocaine stash.
No public record. No leaked tip-off from civilians. The only people who knew were wearing badges.
A Building That Had Been Broken Into Seven Times Before
The Port Shepstone facility had recorded at least seven break-ins between December 2011 and October 2021 — the month before the theft. It had no functioning alarm. No surveillance cameras.
This is where South Africa’s Hawks chose to store R200 million worth of cocaine.
The Commission Is Asking Hard Questions
Commissioner Sesi Baloyi did not mince words. She pointed out that Nyuswa’s central role in the drug bust made him a natural suspect — yet he inexplicably kept himself at arm’s length during the subsequent investigation.
Nyuswa was quick to distance himself from Major-General Lesetja Senona, the KZN Hawks head who approved the Port Shepstone storage plan. Senona’s name appears repeatedly in the commission’s evidence.
Who Is Implicated — and Who Has Been Arrested
The commission has heard evidence implicating four senior officers:
Number of arrests since November 2021: zero.
Why This Matters Beyond South Africa
This is not just a South African policing scandal. It is a case study in how drug networks survive and thrive — not despite law enforcement, but through it.
The Madlanga Commission is still probing. The cocaine is still missing. And the officers who knew exactly where it was stored are still walking free.
