Startling new allegations against the man code-named “The Landlord” have emerged at a bail hearing following last month’s massive Scorpions-led drug bust.
Based on witness affidavits and source interviews, the Mail & Guardian last week identified the “The Landlord” as Glen Agliotti, the businessman whose links to police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi and slain mining boss Brett Kebble the M&G exposed in May.
Among the claims made by the Scorpions against The Landlord in evidence this week were:
- he is a “kingpin” in the contraband syndicate being investigated, which has dealt in tons of hashish;
- he gave instructions for the kidnapping of one of the current state witnesses after an earlier drug deal went sour;
- he directed and provided “resources” for drug deals;
- witnesses were told The Landlord “would ensure” that all the syndicate members got bail.
Agliotti last week failed to respond to questions from the M&G, including the claim that he was The Landlord. Instead, he told the Saturday Star that this and other claims reported by the M&G were “bullshit”.
“How can they say those things? They have absolutely no evidence. I’m bringing an urgent application against them,” Agliotti is quoted as saying. The M&G has received no summons.
Last week Selebi also declined to answer further questions about his friendship with Agliotti. He previously indicated he believed the focus on their relationship was part of a smear campaign against him.
The latest claims were made in evidence and documents placed before the Alberton Magistrate’s Court, where one of those arrested following the R200-million drug seizure, Stefanos Paparas, was applying for bail.
In his application, Paparas denied being connected to anyone called “The Landlord”, denied ever being involved in the import or export of drugs and denied the alleged kidnapping had taken place or that he told witnesses “The Landlord” would secure bail.
He said the majority of state witnesses were “on their own admission drug dealers with an obvious disrespect for law, order and justice” and their evidence was self-serving, as they had reached deals with the state on reduced sentences.
Last week three of the accused, Canadian Lesley Allan Curtis, Christiaan Alblas and Pedro Luis Marques, entered a plea bargain agreement which entailed them giving evidence against other members of the syndicate.
Paparas was contradicted by evidence given by senior Scorpions investigator Andrew Leask, described as being head of “special national projects”. Leask said a state witness, Anthony Dormehl, had cited several contraband deals in which Paparas and his associate, identified as The Landlord, played a leading role.
He told the court his investigation formed part of an international probe into the smuggling of drugs and other contraband, with at least three South African legs.
“The first investigation is in connection with cannabis supplied by Curtis to the applicant [Paparas] and others. The second is that [Paparas] cultivated cannabis on a farm in the Free State; he harvested and compressed 550kg of cannabis and through the infrastructure of The Landlord it was packed and flown out to Vancouver.
“The third aspect relates to a supply of 7 000kg of Swazi weed [cannabis] by the applicant and the syndicate, packed into a container supplied by The Landlord and, according to Dormehl, shipped through Durban harbour en route to Holland where it was stolen by customs officials in Holland, who were later arrested there.
“In that case, Curtis called The Landlord explaining the incident.”
Leask testified that this incident gave rise to the alleged kidnapping. He said in March 2003 Curtis met Paparas and other syndicate members, who took him to a plot Paparas owned near Springs.
“In Curtis’s presence, calls were made to the Landlord by [Paparas] and, at this stage, Curtis spoke to The Landlord himself, on which he was told he would not be allowed to leave the plot until he ensured someone would bail him out for the loss of the consignment in Holland.
“He was locked up in a container, later transported by a truck and he was given a mattress to sleep on.”
Leask said Curtis claimed he was held for 10 days before Paparas’s father, also an accused, left the plot and he was able to escape.
He said Curtis secured the original consignment of two tons of hashish through a Pakistani, which was brought to South Africa last year. He said Paparas, through The Landlord, organised the storage of the consignment.
“This resulted in two tons of hashish coming through Durban harbour into South Africa, being transported to Johannesburg and stored in a bonded warehouse near the airport. It was packed and concealed in gas stoves.”
In February this year, half of the two tons was exported via Portugal to Holland.
Leask said that, since Curtis’s kidnapping, The Landlord had not known Paparas was still dealing with Curtis.
“What we are investigating is that The Landlord was aware of the deal, but not aware that Curtis was involved.”
The state has alleged that Paparas is a flight risk and a threat to state witnesses.
“The applicant has shown he would ruthlessly deal with people on the instruction of The Landlord,” Scorpions Gauteng boss Gerrie Nel said in written legal submissions.
This week Nel told the court: “The defence says we have a man whose daughter is very sick and needs him. We are saying we have a man here whose drug dealing may have put the lives of other people’s daughters in danger.”
Argument on the granting of bail will continue on Friday.