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-Lurid Crime Tales-
S Africa intel minister's wife arrested on drug dealing
2010-01-30
The wife of South Africa's intelligence minister has been arrested on drug-dealing charges. Sheryl Cwele, the 50-year-old wife of Siyabonga Cwele, appeared in court charged with conspiring to bring cocaine into the country.
So the wife of the intel minister is smuggling drugs, and he had 'no knowledge' of it. Brilliant, brilliant for an intel chief ...
Mrs Cwele was charged with procuring a woman to collect drugs in Turkey and of getting another woman to smuggle cocaine from Brazil. She remains in custody until her bail application is heard in a week.

Mrs Cwele is facing the charges with Frank Nabolis, a Nigerian national arrested in South Africa in December.

She said told local media she was innocent.
"Pure as the driven, um, snow ..."
Sheryl Cwele's arrest followed that of Tessa Beetge, a South African woman arrested in Brazil in 2008 9.2kg (22lb) of cocaine inside her luggage. Beetge was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Newspaper reports linked Mrs Cwele to Beetge, before she took leave in December from her job as director for health and community services at the Hibiscus Coast Municipality. She returned to work on Thursday, and was arrested at her office on Friday before appearing at Pietermaritzburg High Court.

The National Prosecuting Authority in South Africa said Mrs Cwele faced one count of dealing in dangerous dependency-producing drugs and two counts of incitement to dealing in dangerous dependency-producing drugs, dating back to May and June 2008.

Her husband told a local newspaper he had no knowledge of his wife's alleged drug dealings.
Posted by:Steve White

#9  You'd know.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2010-01-30 15:08  

#8  "Mae West comes instantly to mind.
'Pure as the driven slush' Dahlin'"

Jim, I think it was something like "I used to be pure as the driven snow - but I drifted." ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2010-01-30 15:01  

#7  Why did she not just use Diplomatic Bags/Pouches?

She really is duh!
Posted by: Rhodesiafever   2010-01-30 14:27  

#6  22 lbs for "personal use"? See: "Keith Richards"
Posted by: Frank G   2010-01-30 13:35  

#5  "Pure as the driven, um, snow ..."

Mae West comes instantly to mind.
"Pure as the driven slush" Dahlin'
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2010-01-30 12:32  

#4  'Community Services' and 'Name That Party', South African style.
Her husband WAS Minister of Intelligence, promoted to Minister for State Security, '09. So many oxymorons, does 'She returned to work' qualify?
Posted by: Rhodesiafever   2010-01-30 12:27  

#3  The Law
The maximum penalty for drug dealing in South Africa is 25 years. (Since the commencement of the Act nobody in reported cases has been sentenced to 25 years.) The maximum penalty for the possession of drugs is 15 years in prison. Both of these can be coupled with an unlimited fine. Section 7 of the Act dealing with the Prevention of Organised Crime, Act 121 of 1998, makes provision for an obligation to report information regarding the proceeds of crime
Posted by: Uloluter Darling of the Munchkins5034   2010-01-30 11:43  

#2  you're duhhhh
Posted by: Besoeker   2010-01-30 09:07  

#1  If your giving thought to a possible trial and penalty phase, think of former Mayor Marion Barry. Add on paid leave from the Hibiscus Municipality and a return to business as usual.
Posted by: Besoeker   2010-01-30 07:08  

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