Transporter murdered over dagga deal gone wrong

MBABANE – Longcirculating rumours and allegations about drugs and other illegal contraband trafficked by some Swazi road transport firms with police involvement boiled over into scandal and murder last week. Five suspects were arrested for the abduction and death of SMI Logistics manager Calvin Ryan, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered in late May. The suspects, who have confessed to magistrates their participation in the crimes, spoke of a conspiracy to steal a shipment of Swazi dagga that was allegedly in Ryan’s possession and destined for South Africa, using a company vehicle. “Investigations are ongoing but two officers of the Royal Swaziland Police Force, a civilian who pretended to be a policeman and two other suspects were arrested,” said police spokesman Khulani Mamba at a press conference. Mamba said a dispute over dagga motivated Ryan’s abduction and murder. A block of compressed dagga was reportedly found at the company premises by police investigators. Press reports indicated that the abductors sought to steal a consignment of dagga in Ryan’s possession that was en route to a South African buyer by claiming they were police detectives investigating drug trafficking. They confronted him at his flat located on SMI Logistics company premises in Matsapha, where the firm has been in business for decades. One suspect told investigators that Ryan had told them he had already given police the dagga and had confessed his involvement to authorities. This appears to have been a ruse by Ryan because Mamba said there was no record of Ryan’s confession and no dagga had been confiscated by police prior to his death. Unable to obtain the dagga, the suspects abducted Ryan from his residence. His body was discovered ten kilometres east of Matsapha. Death was attributed to multiple stab wounds.