Two cops in court on charge of dealing in mandrax
By Hendrick Mphande
Source: The Herald Online
A SENIOR police officer told the regional court yesterday how two police officers were nabbed in a trap in connection with 100 mandrax tablets.
Inspector Leslie Baartman, 38, of Steenbok Street, Gelvandale, and Sergeant Christian Korkie, 39, of Cawood Street, Cleary Park, appeared before magistrate Gert Steyn.
The pair are facing charges of dealing in mandrax, illegal possession of mandrax and defeating the ends of justice. On July 7, 1999, the two were supposed to arrest Marius Knoesen, a man the police used as an agent and who also posed as a drug dealer.
The State alleged that instead of arresting Mr Knoesen, the two officers took the tablets for themselves and never handed them over to the relevant police authorities. The proceedings were recorded on video which was handed in as an exhibit.
Yesterday, Superintendent Andre Knoesen of the special investigating unit in East London recalled how Insp Baartman and Sgt Korkie retrieved 100 mandrax tablets which had been hidden by the agent under a palm tree near Cleary Park shopping centre.
Supt Knoesen testified that at the time of the incident he was 100 metres away from where the agent had placed the tablets just after 2.15pm.
Ten minutes later, Supt Knoesen alleged that he noticed Insp Baartman and Sgt Korkie walking towards the shopping centre and pretending they did not know each other.
“Sgt Korkie walked towards the palm tree while Insp Baartman went back to the red Nissan car.” Apparently Sgt Korkie had a brief conversation with the agent, then grabbed a white envelope containing the drugs and headed to the parked vehicle.
Supt Knoesen said he followed the two to a house, and saw Sgt Korkie tampering with the envelope. They drove to the Mercantile Hospital where they were arrested. Earlier evidence was that the envelope with the drugs was switched before the incident. The case was postponed to August 14.
