High ranking politicians in South Africa and India are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking between those two countries. This follows the apparent closure of investigations into how R4,3 billion of hard drugs landed up in two consignments of South African fruit (one of which is pictured above) that was seized in Mumbai nearly four years ago.
IOL reported on 27 March 2026 that Police Minster Firoz Cachalia this week acknowledged the difficulties in policing container traffic and said the Directorate of Priority Crime had to work on detecting consignments such as this before they arrived at port.
He acknowledged the local case has gone cold and there have been no arrests. He made no mention of the allegations raised that local police and politicians may have been involved in squashing the investigation.
The paperwork trail was clear in the Mumbai case, but the political will to follow through was not, and investigations in South Africa and India appear to have fizzled out.
By way of background
In October 2022, two consignments of fruit were sent by Gauteng-based exporter Mansoor Thatchaparamban to his partner Vijan Varghese in Mumbai. Hidden among the oranges in the first consignment, was 200 kg of metamphetamines and 9 kg of cocaine (valued at R3,2 billion).
In the second container of South African apples and pears was 50 kg of cocaine (valued at R1,2 billion). That’s a total of R4,3 billion of hard drugs shipped in two weeks through SA customs in one month!
According to the Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley who has been following the case, SAPS was assisting Indian authorities by initiating three investigations locally in 2022, but received limited cooperation from India.
That same year in November, 49kg of cocaine hidden in oranges from South Africa was seized at the UK’s Port of Felixstowe. Two men, Anand Tripathi and Varun Bharwaj, were jailed in the UK as a result. Although the UK consignment was linked to Varghese who was suspected of trafficking narcotics internationally through Kenya and multiple names emerged, little appears to have happened.
Varghese was only arrested by Indian police, three years later, in January 2025, and was released on bail after a High Court appearance relating to the South African consignment to Mumbai.
His Gauteng partner, Thatchaparamban, born in India but now a South African citizen and resident, was questioned by SAPS in 2023. According to the Daily Maverick, he denied knowledge of drugs. In a May 2023 statement. He said he used an agent, referred to as Mr X, to source and load fruit. He allowed Mr X to add four pallets to a 60-pallet shipment in 2022 and later learned cocaine was allegedly found in those pallets.
Thatchaparamban claimed a second drug consignment was also introduced by Mr X without his knowledge and alleged Mr X mentioned links to politicians and police in India.
He filed a fraud complaint in Gauteng. Police confirmed a case was opened but later closed as undetected due to insufficient evidence.
Parliament Hears That Case Collapsed
The whole issue has now come before Parliament is after MK Party Member of Parliament (MP) Saira Abader asked Police Minister Firoz Cachalia how such a large narcotics consignment could pass through port security, customs inspections, and border management controls undetected, which agencies were responsible for screening it, whether any officials had been disciplined, and what steps were being taken to prevent recurrence.
In response to her parliamentary question, Cachalia said, “Export containers containing fresh produce move through the port under strict time-sensitive conditions to maintain the cold chain and prevent spoilage.
”Opening sealed refrigerated containers without a risk-based justification may compromise the goods and disrupt legitimate export trade.”
He explained that SAPS Border Policing does not have access to shipping manifests before a vessel’s departure and often only receives container information after the vessel has left, sometimes up to three days later.
“As s a result, SAPS Border Policing does not systematically profile or search containers for export, particularly in the perishable goods environment, unless specific actionable intelligence is provided indicating the potential concealment of contraband,” he said.
Cachalia outlined the multi-agency responsibilities for cargo screening, noting that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs manages customs declarations and cargo compliance, the SAPS handles criminal law enforcement and targeted searches, the Border Management Authority (BMA) is responsible for border law-enforcement functions, and port operators oversee cargo handling and access control.
No Arrests
He emphasised that screening and clearance is a shared function, not the responsibility of a single authority.
Cachalia also confirmed that no SAPS officials have been suspended or investigated in relation to this specific consignment.
“No SAPS members have been subjected to disciplinary action in connection with the matter,” he said.
He noted that following the discovery of the narcotics abroad, the investigation into the criminal network responsible is being led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI).
He said the investigation aims to trace the origin of the shipment, identify the syndicate involved, and assess whether facilitation occurred within the logistics chain.
Cachalia added that intelligence from these investigations may inform future operational responses, including targeted inspections of export cargo.
#
