IN COURT: The Cape Town High Court has granted the Hawks’ Priority Crime Specialised Investigation team (PCSI) in collaboration with National Prosecuting Authority’s Assets Forfeiture Unit a final asset forfeiture order for a vehicle used to transport drugs.

According to a media statement by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the Hawks) the incident in which the driver was caught happened exactly 11 years ago on 16 March 2015.

The court order was issued on 19 February 2026 and delivered to the Hawks on 16 March 2026.

According to the Hawks the SA Narcotics Enforcement Bureau (SANEB) together with the Paarl K9 unit acted on information about a vehicle that was transporting drugs from Gauteng to Cape Town. The vehicle was spotted at the Huguenot Plaza, pulled over and searched.

More than 100 mandrax tablets and 10 000 ecstasy tablets, worth over R6,4-million were found inside the vehicle, an Isuzu Bakkie fitted with hidden compartments.

The driver, Ruben Naicker, was arrested for dealing in narcotics. He was sentenced on 4 February 2025 to three years direct imprisonment after entering into plea bargain with the state.