Businessman Lucas Legabe, who is accused of stealing cocaine valued at approximately R216 million from the Hawks’ offices in Port Shepstone, has been granted R50,000 bail.
The 49-year-old faces charges of housebreaking with intent to steal and dealing in drugs. He has denied any involvement in the theft.
The case relates to 541kg of cocaine that allegedly disappeared from a Hawks evidence-storage facility in November 2021. The drugs had originally been seized at a container depot in Isipingo before being transported to Port Shepstone for safekeeping.
Legabe was arrested in Pretoria on 7 August 2026 following a lengthy investigation and had remained in custody while his formal bail application was heard.
The State opposed his release, arguing that two alleged participants in the theft had become State witnesses and that Legabe knew their identities, creating a possible risk of interference. Investigators have also indicated that police officers are suspected of involvement and that further arrests could follow.
During his application, Legabe claimed he was tortured and forced to confess after his arrest. The Hawks have denied that his arrest resulted from recent testimony before the Madlanga Commission, maintaining that it followed a long-running intelligence-led investigation.
The disappearance of the cocaine and the manner in which it was stored have also come under scrutiny at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
