Major General Hendrik Flynn testified at the Madlanga Commission that the theft of a R200-million cocaine haul from a Hawks building in KwaZulu-Natal was by design, not coincidence. The 541kg consignment, intercepted in June 2021, was stolen in November 2021 from an unsecured premises. Flynn highlighted multiple mishandlings from the initial seizure.
On 5 May 2026, Major General Hendrik Flynn, head of the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation component, testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into alleged drug cartel infiltration in South Africa's criminal justice sector.
Flynn described the handling of a 541kg cocaine consignment, worth R200-million to R250-million, seized on 22 June 2021 at an Isipingo depot in KwaZulu-Natal. Intelligence on 21 June tipped off officers Lieutenant Colonel Gavin Jacobs and Warrant Officer Mpangase about 27kg hidden in a container labelled as animal bone meal from Brazil. Officers found 27 bags containing cocaine bricks branded with TikTok and Jaguar logos instead.
Flynn criticised the scene management, stating officers moved the consignment to Isipingo Police Station without cordoning the area, saying 'you can’t shift a crime scene.' It was stored at the Hawks building in Port Shepstone, 100km away, rather than a forensic laboratory as required. The building lacked a working alarm, armed security—contract expired 31 March 2021—and had prior break-ins.
The cocaine was stolen between 6 and 8 November 2021 using a grinder on the strong room. Commission chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga called the events a 'comedy of errors,' but Flynn responded: “I’m of the view it’s no coincidence and that the sequence of events is indeed […] by design.” Earlier, KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Major General Lesetja Senona said 'someone sold us out.'
Flynn is set to testify further on 6 May 2026.
