Durban - Two Durban men, on the lower scale of a crime syndicate, on Friday pleaded guilty to stealing a 6-metre container containing R2-million worth of copper sheets from the Durban harbour, to sell to an arranged buyer.
Mohamed Thair Sheik, 33, and Suren Mohan, 42, were each sentenced to a R10 000 fine or three years in jail. They were further sentenced to six years in jail, but which was suspended for five years on condition they did not commit a similar offence during this time.
“There was a great measure of planning and daring. The price was very high and, knowing this, you still went ahead with the crime,” said magistrate Sophie Reddy to the accused before they were sentenced.
The men have agreed to assist police in their further investigations.
An employee from the international shipping company was also arrested by the Hawks last week, when he offered Hawks Detective-Sergeant Deena Govender a R10 000 bribe.
It is believed he was being questioned about the container theft when the bribe was allegedly offered. He is expected to appear in court today.
On Friday, the Durban Magistrate’s Court heard that six containers belonging to an international shipping company based in Joburg arrived from the Congo. They were stored at the company’s warehouse in Merebank and transported under armed guard via Bayhead Road to the harbour.
Prosecutor Kuveshni Pillay told the court the armed guards were not allowed to enter the Durban harbour, as the container terminal had its own security.
It was then that the men made off with one of the containers. According to a well-placed source, one of the accused was driving one of the six trucks transporting these containers filled with copper sheets, and had exited the container terminal soon after arriving with the other trucks.
According to the pair’s guilty plea, read out to the court by their attorney, Nerissa Farrington, Mohan met an employee from the international shipping company who had asked him if he could secure a buyer for a container of copper sheets.
They exchanged contact details and Mohan then enquired from Sheik if he knew of a possible buyer.
Mohan said Sheik referred him to someone who then introduced him to “Shane”, an undercover police officer.
Mohan contacted the international shipping company employee and, when they met to confirm details of the transaction, the employee said he transported the copper sheets for this company.
On May 16, Sheik made arrangements to meet “Shane” at the container terminal in Bayhead Road. The container, with a trailer, was parked at a garage.
Sheik met “Shane” and was arrested. He pointed out Mohan, who was also later arrested.
During arguments for sentencing, Farrington said her clients were both first offenders who were both unemployed and breadwinners.
Sheik lived in Chatsworth with his father, wife and two minor children, while Mohan lived in Verulam with his wife and a minor child.
“They both pleaded guilty at their first court appearance and didn’t delay the trial, which is indicative of their remorse,” said Farrington.
She argued there was no actual prejudice to the shipping company, as the property had been recovered.
She argued for a suspended sentence, saying jail would be too harsh a punishment.
Pillay argued that as breadwinners, the men should have realised that crime did not pay. She suggested a fine as the men were on the lower end of the scale in this syndicate matter, and said the State took it in good faith that the men would assist the police investigation.
Magistrate Reddy accepted this and, in sentencing the pair, said it was fortunate the police had intervened, otherwise there would have been a severe financial loss.
Daily News