India’s Mandrax master to Big Five bosses – exposing the who’s who of South Africa’s illicit drug trade

In 2025 a senior policeman made striking accusations that a drug cartel had infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system, politics and private security. This sparked high-level law enforcement suspensions and arrests, totally reconfiguring the country’s policing. This unprecedented crisis runs much deeper, though, and has been decades in the making. Daily Maverick’s Caryn Dolley reports. Reporting by: Caryn Dolley Edited by: Joel Seboa Filmed by: Joel Seboa Produced by: Emilie Gambade Creative input by: Malibongwe Tyilo Sub-edited by: Mike Van Olst Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a Maverick Insider.https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick Follow us on X : https://x.com/dailymaverick   Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailymaverick Check our website: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dailymaverick/   Check out our TikTok page: https://www.tiktok.com/@dailymavericksa Download Daily Maverick Mobile App: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/daily-maverick-app/ Subscribe to Daily Maverick YouTube channel. @dailymaverickchannel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.