A 51-year-old alleged drug trafficker appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after the biggest find of the so-called date rape drug Rivotril in the history of KwaZulu-Natal, police said.
Yunus Satar Essa was remanded in custody until his next appearance on Friday, police said in a statement.
On that day, he would appear with suspected drug pedlar Keith Martin Bukes (45) and the two cases would be tried as a single one.
Bukes was arrested last Wednesday at Essa’s apartment in a block of flats in the Overport area in Durban.
Essa evaded arrest at the time by fleeing from the scene, but handed himself over to police on Monday.
When police searched Essa’s flat last week they found drugs to the value of about R800 000 in a safe. These included about 40 000 tablets of Rivotril worth about 400 000.
Police also found cocaine, mandrax, ecstasy and Penagra and Kenagra, which are generics of Viagra.
A licensed firearm was seized to be sent for ballistic testing. – Sapa