A cocaine pick-up from a ship in international waters off Still Bay set the scene for a high-stakes drug smuggling operation that has taken a dramatic turn, with one of the accused set to testify against his co-accused.  

Alan Bushby (52) was charge for dealing in just over 400kg of cocaine and appeared in the Western Cape High Court yesterday (June 11).

Bushby entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. Five years of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit another drug-related offence during that time.

He will now testify against his co-accused: Renaldo Beukes (35), Dicky Johan Benzien (50), Mathew Fourie (23), Jordan Cullingworth (29) as well as Serbian nationals Nemanja Vuckovic (31), Marko Ninc (41) and Josip Ivanovic (39). 

They face charges of murder and dealing in drugs.  

Vuckovic, Ninc and Ivanovic are also charged with contravening the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 for allegedly being in the country illegally. 

Quick money 

According to the plea agreement, Bushby stated that Mathew Smith approached him in July 2024 and asked whether he was interested in making quick money by helping to recover cocaine from the sea.  

Bushby was informed that a passing ship would drop a shipment of cocaine into international waters off the coast of Still Bay and that he would assist in retrieving the parcels and bringing them safely ashore.  

He said he was initially told the cocaine shipment weighed approximately 100kg. 

Bushby agreed to participate because he needed money to start a new business venture in Namibia called Desert Adventures. Although he was not told how much he would be paid, he was given the impression that the payment would be substantial.  

Drug recovery operation 

The court heard that Bushby was instructed to board a rubber duck at 05:00 on July 18, 2024, with a group of people waiting for him at the Still Bay Harbour. 

Bushby had travelled to South Africa with his Namibian girlfriend, who he met while pursuing business opportunities in the tourism industry in Namibia. She was unaware of his involvement in the drug recovery operation.  

Bushby told her that they would be visiting South Africa as tourists because she wanted to see the Western Cape. He later informed her that he would be going on a fishing trip on July 18, 2024 and would return the following day. He asked her to drop him off at the harbour that morning.  

He also told her that she and Smith, who he described as an old friend needing a lift to Cape Town, could explore nearby areas while he was away. 

Bushby arranged for her to collect him from the harbour the next day, after which they would spend the night in Still Bay and travel to Cape Town the next day to drop off Smith. 

Co-ordinates identify drop location 

On the morning of July 18, 2024, Bushby’s girlfriend and Smith dropped him off at the harbour, where he met Ninc, Ivanovic, Beukes, and others whose identities he could not recall with certainty. 

Bushby said Beukes and Benzien were introduced as the skippers, while Ivanovic, who appeared to be in charge, remained close to Ninc. Ivanovic provided Beukes with a satellite phone and advised him that he would receive co-ordinates identifying the location where the shipment would be dropped within the next 48 hours.  

He was told that his role would be to help lift the shipment from the water, secure it and transport it back to the harbour. 

Bushby said he subsequently received co-ordinates that changed several times. He later received instructions to return to the harbour to collect another man and additional fuel. The unidentified man carried a satellite phone, which he used to tell someone that he had been picked up. 

He added that the group later located the ship, flashed their torches towards it and received a response.  

The drugs were subsequently dropped into the sea and recovered.  

Bushby said shortly after the shipment had been secured, Ninc received a call and the group was instructed to remain at sea until further notice regarding their return to the harbour. 

Body thrown over board 

He said when they eventually received permission to return and while en route to the harbour, he heard a loud bang.  

Bushby then saw Ninc, who had been seated next to the last man to board the rubber duck, holding a firearm, while the unidentified man lay dead. 

According to Bushby, Ninc, speaking in broken English, pointed at Beukes, Benzien and the others on board and said: “You good, you are good, you good.”  

He then pointed at the dead man and said: “He is not good.”  

Ninc allegedly threw the man’s body overboard, after which Beukes and Benzien cleaned blood from the boat. 

Bushby told the court that he was terrified and feared he might be next.  

He said he had not known that Ninc was carrying a firearm and had no knowledge of any plan to kill the man. 

Fled from police 

The group returned to the harbour on the evening of July 19, 2024 after spending the day drifting at sea.  

Bushby was instructed to drive an SUV towing a boat trailer, while Ninc and another man travelled with him toward Jongensfontein. 

Police later stopped the vehicle, but Bushby and Ninc jumped out and fled on foot.  

They went to a guesthouse in Still Bay hoping to spend the night there, but police arrested them later that evening. Bushby never received any payment for his role in the operation. 

He further stated that he later learned Smith had died in what was believed to be a suicide. 

The matter continued in court today (June 12).  

Eric Ntabazalila, the spokesperson for the NPA, said the matter has been postponed to August 28, for another pretrial hearing due to some of the accused having new legal representatives and the need for a Serbian interpreter. 

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