Port Shepstone Cocaine Theft Accused Granted Bail
The Port Shepstone Magistrates Court has found that a man accused of stealing cocaine worth about R216 million from police evidence is not a flight risk.
Magistrate Nonjabulo Moleele on Monday granted Lucas Legabe bail of R50,000.
Legabe faces charges of housebreaking with the intention to steal and dealing in drugs.
According to the State’s case, Legabe and other unidentified suspects broke into the Hawks’ Port Shepstone offices in November 2021 and stole 541kg of cocaine that had been seized as evidence.
Court Questions Delay In Arrest
Moleele said there had been an unexplained delay between the alleged offence in November 2021 and Legabe’s arrest almost five years later, in August 2026.
However, the magistrate found that Legabe had strong ties to South Africa, including family and business interests, and had not attempted to evade the law during the period between the alleged crime and his arrest.
“I am not persuaded that a likelihood of abscondment as opposed to a mere possibility has been established,” Moleele said.
The court therefore concluded that Legabe did not pose a flight risk.
Further Arrests Expected
The matter was postponed to 1 December for further investigations.
The State told the court that more arrests were expected in connection with the case.
Investigators are also awaiting a forensic report examining Legabe’s financial affairs, which could form part of the ongoing investigation.