Police seized cocaine worth R171m during a drug bust at the Port of Durban on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said a a multidisciplinary team led by the SAPS Organised Crime Investigations (OCI) Unit recovered 380kg of cocaine off a vessel that was coming into the country from South America.

“The team immediately used the information and conducted surveillance where they identified the vessel. Along with the South African Revenue Service, customs officials and K9 dogs, the teams identified the container this morning [Thursday], with 12 bags of cocaine worth a street value of R171m,” said Mathe.

The acting national commissioner of SAPS, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, said the drug bust demonstrated that police were intensifying their efforts in disrupting and dismantling organised drug trafficking syndicates.

“Well done to all teams involved including our transnational drug trafficking investigations unit. This should send a stern warning to all drug traffickers utilising our harbours that South Africa continues to intensify its efforts to dismantle and disrupt the global drug trafficking trade,” said Mosikili.

Mathe added no arrests were made and investigations were continuing to establish the source and destination of the drugs.