Prosecuting authorities have attached a car and cash believed to be linked to a Nigerian man arrested twice for allegedly dealing in tik.
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Prosecuting authorities have attached a red Mercedes-Benz and more than R700 000 cash believed to be linked to a Nigerian man arrested twice for allegedly dealing in tik from a clothing shop on the Cape Town Station Deck and a liquor store in Maitland.
While the drug-dealing charges relating to the clothing shop were withdrawn for technical reasons, the man, 46-year-old Paul Kingsley, now risks losing his car and cash after Goodwood police found 1kg of tik stashed underneath the counter of a bottle store he operates in Voortrekker Road, Maitland.
In an affidavit before the Western Cape High Court, deputy director of public prosecutions Gcobani Bam said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the money and the car represented the proceeds of drug dealing, tax evasion and money laundering.
Bam said that Goodwood detective Jonathan Amon had stated in an affidavit an informant had told him Kingsley had been dealing in drugs from his Liquormait Bottle Store.
Police seized nearly 1kg tik with a street value of about R300 000 during a raid on the bottle store premises on June 14 last year.
They also seized around R744 000 in cash stored in three safes.
Amon said Kingsley had told police the tik belonged to his friend Anachebe Ndubisi, but Ndubisi denied the allegation.
Kingsley also claimed that the large amount of cash came from money he accumulated trading cars, and from his liquor store business.
The police later searched Kingsley’s residence, in Burgundy Estate, Richwood, but found nothing illegal there. The Mercedes-Benz, which was parked outside the house, was seized.
Amon said he had established that the car had been registered in Ndubisi’s name, but added that he believed Kingsley had bought it.
Kingsley, his brother Innocent Obi Ekwu and employee Anachebe Ndubisi had been arrested and later appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on drug-dealing charges.
The case had been struck from the court roll because of an outstanding forensic report. However, Amon said the report had since become available, and the charges would be reinstated.
Amon referred to the previous case in which Kingsley was accused of selling drugs from the station deck. However, he added that the charges in that case had been withdrawn due to missing statements.
In that case, Kingsley was arrested after an undercover police operation.
In a separate affidavit, reservist constable Patrick Madolo, who was involved in the operation, said police handed him R7 000 in cash. The serial number on every note was recorded.
Madolo then went into a clothing shop on the station deck where he asked a Nigerian man, Kingsley, for tik and ecstasy to the value of R7 000.
Kingsley told him he would fetch the drugs from his home.
Kingsley eventually arrived with the drugs. It was then that Madolo announced that the transaction was part of an undercover operation, and Kingsley was arrested.
The High Court granted the application for a preservation order, which allows the Asset Forfeiture Unit to attach the car and cash.
The respondents have three months to oppose the granting of an order declaring the items forfeited to the State. - Saturday Argus