R450m Cocaine Plane Case Links Australian Smuggler to Gauteng ‘Big Five Cartel’ Base
- An Australian court sentenced Ahmed Haouchar to 10 years for cocaine smuggling linked to Gauteng's "Big Five" cartel
- The Gauteng link emerged from a R450-million cocaine shipment smuggled from OR Tambo International Airport to Sydney
- Five suspects were arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport for facilitating drug movement in South Africa
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Twitter
GAUTENG, JOHANNESBURG - An Australian court has sentenced convicted cocaine smuggler Ahmed Haouchar to 10 years in prison, linking him directly to Gauteng, the alleged base of South Africa's so-called "Big Five" cartel.
South Africa's so-called Big Five cartel
The cartel sits at the centre of a widening law enforcement scandal that erupted in July 2025 after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged it had infiltrated the criminal justice system, politics and private security. Crime Intelligence head Dumisani Khumalo said the network operates from Gauteng and extends to other provinces, including the Western Cape. The Gauteng link emerged from a R450-million cocaine shipment smuggled from OR Tambo International Airport to Sydney in October 2023. Authorities in Australia intercepted the 100kg consignment in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft after it landed.
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According to the Daily Maverick, investigators have not confirmed where the cocaine was produced or sourced. But its departure from Gauteng places the province at the centre of a transnational trafficking route now under scrutiny in both countries. Haouchar received his sentence on 13 February 2026 for coordinating the shipment's movement. His conviction ties him or his associates to contacts in Gauteng. Several suspects were arrested in the province in November 2023. Their trial is scheduled to run from 24 to 26 February 2026. Australian authorities identified Haouchar through Operation Lucian, a covert probe launched in October 2022. The investigation began after an airline reported suspicious activity near a Johannesburg-bound aircraft destined for Sydney. Surveillance later detected two men removing items from the same plane's cargo hold at the Sydney Airport.
Source: Twitter
SAPS arrested five suspects in November 2023
In October 2023, police intercepted the cocaine container and arrested five suspects in Australia. The Australian Federal Police said at the time that one accused had liaised with organised figures overseas to source the drugs, arrange their placement on the aircraft and coordinate distribution in Australia. Haouchar later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine. The AFP said his sentence followed the imprisonment of three other men, including two insiders, who received a combined maximum of 15 years and nine months for their roles in the same enterprise.
In South Africa, the South African Police Service arrested five suspects in November 2023 during an intelligence-driven operation at OR Tambo. Police said the accused, some employed by companies operating at the airport, allegedly facilitated the movement of drugs in and out of the country. Two worked for the Airports Company of South Africa. Police described the arrests as the first operation of its kind in which a drug seizure abroad was directly linked to suspects in South Africa. The accused, Stanley Nkuna, Justice Mahloma, Madimetje Mahangwhane, Thulani Sibiya and Fuba Mahlangu, appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court. Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale confirmed that they are out on bail pending trial. The R450-million consignment forms the core of the case connecting the South African accused to Haouchar and his network.
Woman nabbed attempting to smuggle cocaine into country
Briefly News previously reported that a 33-year-old woman was arrested at Cape Town International Airport for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the country.
The woman was found in possession of cocaine in a sports bag and was also found to have swallowed several drug bullets.
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Source: Briefly News
