Two Nigerian nationals face drug trafficking charges in South Africa after a Hawks undercover operation.
Authorities say the arrests highlight ongoing efforts to dismantle organized crime networks in North West province.
Two Nigerian nationals, Kenechi Ndukaife Atuchukwu and Michael Okoya, have been arraigned before the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court in South Africa’s North West province on allegations of drug possession and trafficking.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation popularly known as the Hawks the suspects’ court appearance follows a protracted investigation carried out by its Serious Organized Crime Investigation unit with support from the National Prosecuting Authority’s Organized Crime division.
North West Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula explained that the inquiry, which began in 2022, included an undercover operation that allegedly caught 45-year-old Atuchukwu in the act of selling narcotics. After building its case, the Hawks obtained a warrant of arrest which was executed in Klerksdorp last Friday.
Mathebula noted that Atuchukwu’s arrest is connected to an earlier case involving another Nigerian national, Michael Okoya, who was apprehended a week prior for similar offences. Both men are being held in custody pending further court proceedings.
The spokesperson added that the matter was adjourned on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, until 29 September for a formal bail hearing.
North West acting head of the Hawks, Brigadier Georgia Moos, and the province’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Rachel Makhari, praised the arrests, saying the action demonstrates the authorities’ determination to disrupt organized drug trafficking networks operating in the area.
