Durban bar owner and businessman Greg Ayres, who is facing drug dealing charges, has been granted bail of R1 million.
Ayres, who co-owns the bars Keys on Florida Road and Keys on Davenport Road, was arrested with Bulgarian national Valeri Nikolov at the Middelburg toll plaza on the N4 highway on November 4.
Police said the men were stopped in a delivery vehicle while they were en route to Durban and were allegedly found to be in possession of 600 000 ecstasy tablets with a street value of R85m.
On Monday police national spokesman Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale confirmed that Ayres, who had been in custody for more than a month, was granted bail in the Carolina Magistrate’s Court, outside Middelburg, on Thursday.
Ayres’s attorney Carl van der Merwe said the State did not oppose bail and Ayres had put up two Durban properties, collectively worth about R10m, as surety to satisfy the court that he was not a flight risk.
Strict bail conditions include that Ayres must report twice a day to the Berea police station and cannot leave Durban without the consent of the investigating officer.
Van der Merwe said Nikolov still intended to apply for bail but was waiting for a magistrate to be available to hear the application.
Police allege the R85m drug bust was also linked to a raid at a Konigkramer Avenue, Westville, home last month.
Ayres’s business partner Gareth Brissett and two other men, John Maphumulo and Sakhile Dlamini, were arrested and charged with drug dealing after police allegedly found 325kg of ecstasy in powdered form at the Westville residence.
Earlier this month Brissett was granted bail of R500 000 and his co-accused obtained bail of R50 000 each in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
Police also believe that premises in Linze Road, Stamford Hill, where machines, drums of precursor chemicals and cash were found, were used as a clandestine drug laboratory.
Police established that the warehouse was leased by one of the five accused who were arrested last week, but they have declined to disclose the name.
The cases against the five men were adjourned to next year.
The Mercury