Alleged drug syndicate leader Fadwaan Murphy sentenced to 18 years in prison
He also received a fine of R2 million after being convicted of charges related to running a criminal enterprise that flooded the Cape Flats with tik and heroin.
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CAPE TOWN - Alleged drug syndicate leader Fadwaan Murphy was sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined R2 million after being convicted of charges related to running a criminal enterprise that flooded the Cape Flats with tik and heroin.
Murphy, who is notoriously known his by nickname, Vet, faced more than 200 charges under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act after being caught with drugs and cash worth more than R4 million in September 2015.
The court found that Murphy, along with his co-accused ex-wife Shafieka Murphy, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, conducted unlawful activities involving drug dealing, money laundering and racketeering.
Court papers show the pair ran a criminal operation in Mitchells Plain, Wynberg, Cape Town, Strand, Worcester, and Caledon during the period from July 2013 until September 2015.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Diane Davis took into consideration the negative social effects of drugs and drug dealing.
Davis told the court that between 2006 and 2016, the Western Cape was responsible for more than a third of drug-related crime in the country.
She also said Murphy showed no remorse for the health and safety of the families affected by the abuse of the drugs that he sold.
Defence for the accused has since made an application to appeal the sentences.