A search for possible African stowaways aboard a Russian cargo ship in the port of Cape Town last week unearthed a far more extreme cargo – 10kg of cocaine with an estimated value of up to R6 million. Sanjay Govan, National Ports Authority manager for South Africa’s second busiest commercial port, told FTW at week’s end the NPA had been requested by South African Police Services to hold the Baltic Navigator until an investigation had been carried out. This procedure was duly followed and the vessel, which had apparently called at Namibia, Mozambique and possibly Angola, was allowed to sail with a cargo of South African fruit for Russia. Pretoria-based Captain Dennis Adriao, national spokesman for ports entry, confirmed the find and said that an investigation was continuing – but with no arrests yet.
