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Four men have been jailed for in effect eight years for setting up drug manufacturing factories in Kraaifontein, Cape Town.

Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said Mohamed Nisar Holia, 43, Hasan Patel, 42, Vimal Kumar Aaliwala, 38, and Jayesh Patel, 42, were sentenced under a plea agreement by the Khayelitsha Regional Court.

The men pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, manufacturing and dealing in methaqualone, and money laundering.

They were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, seven years of which was suspended for five years.

“Each of the accused was involved, either through the acquisition of properties, chemicals and equipment and setting up the factories for the manufacturing of tik,” Ntabazalila said.

Holia arranged the importation of the equipment and acquisition of properties.

He owned several businesses importing chemicals from India and China.

Hasan Patel assisted with the rental of factories and worked in them.

Aaliwala was a registered pharmacist in South Africa and India, who used his knowledge to see the right chemicals were used in the manufacturing process of Methaqualone.

Jayesh Patel was responsible for making sure the factory equipment was properly installed.

“While they were busy with manufacturing of the drugs at the property, the accused were unaware that they were being monitored by the police,” Ntabazalila said.

“After the first batch of drugs was manufactured, all the accused were arrested with the methaqualone still in powder form. They were offered R3 million for the drugs.” 

Comments

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Thu May 23 21:48:19 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 18, 2012

RobinH

8 years only for affecting untold numbers of lives!!! They should be given a life-sentence.
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Sep 18, 2012

sabza007

As long as we have such pathetic sentencing when it comes drugs related charges,I see the drugs manufacturing and supply booming in the coming years and thousands of mainly young people's lives destroyed through gangsterism,prostitution, human trafficking and so on.

Why 8 years when other countries this type of crime is punishable by death?????
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Sep 18, 2012

RobinH

Sabza: I agree. The problem in the Western Cape is that many of these people have connections in every police station and court.
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Sep 18, 2012

SERAGA-MATUTE

jirr, i'm sending my son to do chemistry at varsity so that we can also have a laboratory at home. demand and supply
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Sep 18, 2012

MommaC

They call this a punishment ?!?!?!

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Sep 18, 2012

RobinH

MommaC: Yeah. A joke isn't it. Be ar in mind this is the We stern C ape and Po lls mo or is so porous it might as well not have walls. Ga ngleaders con duct their ope rations with im punity from inside with run ners coming and goi ng almost as they please. A phar macist with meth-exp erience is going to make me ga-buc ks inside.
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Sep 18, 2012

RobinH

please note that the bizarre spacing is to get around an increasingly absurd moderator.
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Sep 18, 2012

MamaNeo

Why such a light sentence? I give up on our justice system!
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Sep 18, 2012

veee!

If i was a president of sa i was gonna rush all neigerian from SA b.coz they are doing Taboo in sa.
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Sep 18, 2012

RobinH

veee I don't think any of these people are Nigerian. It seems as though they were Indian.
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