According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), two police officers have reportedly been sentenced to 10 years in jail respectively for their role in drug-running in Cape Town.
As reported, according to the charge sheet, the Hawks received information that officers at Woodstock police station were involved in dealing with drugs and accepting bribes.
According to reports, Constable Godwin Bradley Barnard and Sergeant Isak Stefanus Hendricks were identified and the Hawks set up separate traps and undercover operations using registered agents in April 2010.
In the first operation, which reportedly took place on April 22, 2010, Barnard was said to have bought and transported drugs for an undercover Hawks agent in the Maitland area. The State’s charge sheet states, the agent gave Barnard R3 000 for the transaction. Hendricks was reported to have shared R250 of the bribe and knew about the deal.
A second incident took place eight days later, where an agent asked Hendricks to transport tik from Woodstock to Maitland for a fee. According to the charge sheet, Hendricks picked up 20 grams of tik from a fast-food outlet in Woodstock, while in a police van with Barnard. Hendricks allegedly got out and handed over the drugs to an agent, in return for R1 000.
Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit and prosecutor advocate Simon Leope dealt with the case.
The men were each sentenced to five years for the alternative charge of possession of drugs and five years for corruption. The sentences would not run simultaneously.
