ISIPINGO has emerged as a central focus in the ongoing Madlanga Commission of Inquiry during testimony by Major-General Hendrik Flynn, as investigators probe how more than 500kg of cocaine later disappeared from a Hawks facility in Port Shepstone.

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Flynn is the Hawks’ head of serious organised crime investigations. On May 5, he testified that the matter began in Isipingo in June 2021 after police seized 541kg of cocaine worth an estimated R200m from a shipping container at a depot.

The drugs were initially booked at the Isipingo police station, but were later moved to the strong room of the Hawks offices in Port Shepstone, where they were stolen in November of that year following a break-in at night.

The commission heard that questions surrounding the handling of the drugs may hold the key to understanding how the consignment was eventually stolen. According to Flynn, standard SAPS procedures governing the recording and safekeeping of exhibits may not have been properly followed.

He told the commission that seized evidence should be entered into the SAP-13 register at the station where it is first received to preserve the chain of custody. However, the cocaine was allegedly moved before being properly recorded, raising concerns about irregularities from the outset.

“I am of the view that it is not a coincidence and that the sequence of events is indeed by design,” said Flynn.

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The commissioner, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, has also questioned why the drugs were transported from Isipingo to Port Shepstone instead of being stored at closer police facilities in Durban.

Flynn challenged claims that Isipingo lacked storage space, revealing that the station had previously stored 547kg of mandrax, a quantity even larger than the cocaine seizure.

Madlanga and evidence leaders are now examining whether the transfer was merely poor judgment or part of a deliberate plan that ultimately enabled the theft.

Flynn suggested the sequence of events appeared too co-ordinated to be accidental.

The commission continues hearing evidence into the circumstances surrounding the theft and the alleged failures within police systems.

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