A 57-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested in Matafeni near Nelspruit after police seized cocaine with an estimated street value of R250,000 during an intelligence-driven operation.
According to a media statement issued by the office of the provincial commissioner in Mpumalanga, police received information about a man allegedly hiding drugs at a property in Matafeni.
A multidisciplinary team comprising SAPS Provincial Organised Crime Investigation, White River K9 and the Pienaar Tactical Response Team (TRT) conducted a raid at the premises in the early hours of Wednesday.
Police said the suspect was found inside the house and was presented with a search warrant before officers searched the property.
During the search, cocaine with an estimated street value of R250,000 was recovered and seized for further forensic investigation.
Police said the suspect alleged during questioning that the drugs belonged to a friend who had left them at the house for safekeeping in late January 2026.
The suspect further claimed that the alleged owner of the drugs had fled to Johannesburg and was hiding because police were looking for him.
The accused, identified as Patrick Izuchukwu Udeh, 57, appeared before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of dealing in drugs. The case was postponed to 3 March 2026 for further proceedings.
Meanwhile, the acting provincial commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has commended the team for apprehending the suspect and reiterated that police in the province maintain a zero-tolerance approach to drug-related crimes.
Mkhwanazi also warned that the suspect who allegedly fled would be traced and brought to book.
