The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks, will continue to pursue criminals without fear, favour or prejudice.
This is according to Hawks Head, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, who briefed the media on Sunday to outline progress and take stock of milestones achieved during the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.
“The DPCI remains committed to its mandate of investigating, preventing, and combating national priority offences without fear, favour or prejudice. The DPCI has made significant inroads in apprehending individuals involved in high-profile cases, thus ensuring accountability and justice for the victims.
“These arrests targeted people involved in serious corruption, serious organised crime, serious commercial crime, including fraud, theft, money laundering, police killings, cash-in-transit robberies, illegal mining, drug trafficking, damage to essential infrastructure and trafficking in endangered species,” he said.
During the reporting period, some 818 natural and juristic persons were arrested and appeared in courts around the country.
Most of the suspects were arrested in Gauteng, the North West and KwaZulu-Natal.
During these arrests, some 84 firearms and 2 049 rounds of ammunition were seized. Seven clandestine drug laboratories were dismantled, with a total value exceeding R17 million.
“During this same period, the Directorate secured convictions on 301 accused. Of these convictions, 285 accused persons, inclusive of 13 juristic persons, were sentenced, while the balance of 16 convicts are to be sentenced on dates after the quarter under review.
“Of the 272 sentenced natural persons, 164 are South Africans, while 108 are foreign nationals. Most of these convictions and sentences were secured in the Gauteng province.
"Of these convictions, the Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit secured 143, Serious Commercial Crime Investigation secured 120 and Serious Corruption Investigation secured 22. We shall, in the coming months, analyse the 16 convicts, as and when they are sentenced,” Lebeya said.
Furthermore, the Priority Crime Specialised Investigation has “contributed towards the issuing of a combined 75 freezing and forfeiture orders”, amounting to more than R72 million.
“An amount of R8 178 798.87 has been deposited into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account. These [bring] the total recorded successes on arrests, convictions and attachment of assets to 1 194.
“[In] line with our moto of 'Seek, find and strike', the DPCI shall continue to execute its mandate without fear, favour or prejudice, in accordance with the Constitution and other laws of the Republic,” Lebeya said. – SAnews.gov.za
