Two Mozambican citizens appear in court in South Africa in drug case
In South Africa, two Mozambican citizens appeared before the Atteridgeville Magistrate's Court on charges of manufacturing drugs and violating immigration legislation due to their alleged unlawful presence in the country. Police reported the discovery of an illicit Mandrax production laboratory in the Erasmia area of Pretoria.
Arrests and seizures
As TimesLIVE reports, 53-year-old Jose Vaso Sete and 44-year-old Arlindo Fernand appeared in court. They were arrested in Erasmia on Wednesday after the Hawks unit received information about a drug manufacturing laboratory in the area.
According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, upon arrival, law enforcement officers allegedly found the accused trying to flee and arrested them. Police said they found equipment and materials for manufacturing drugs, substances at various stages of production, and finished drugs in the house.
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Court hearing
Police estimated the value of the seized drugs at approximately 110 million rand. Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, who was at the scene, said it was a sophisticated operation that allegedly could produce about 800,000 Mandrax tablets daily.
The case was postponed until September 18 to appoint an interpreter and consider matters related to bail. The accused were remanded in custody, and the prosecution said it intended to oppose their release on bail.
