Africa News
South African security minister's wife jailed for drug trafficking
May 6, 2011, 11:43 GMT
Johannesburg - The wife of South Africa's intelligence minister was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking.
Sheryl Cwele and co-accused Frank Nabolisa were found guilty in the Pietermaritzburg High Court of having recruited two women as international drug mules, one of whom was jailed for drug smuggling in Brazil in 2008.
Cwele is married to State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele. She and Nabolisa, a Nigerian, were found to have headed a drug trafficking network that extended from Turkey to South America.
The two pleaded not guilty and have indicated they plan to appeal the verdict and sentencing.
Opposition parties are calling on the minister to resign. Cwele has not commented on the outcome of the case against his wife.
The prosecution's case was aided by a woman who testified that Cwele and Nabolisa tried to recruit her for overseas smuggling operations.
The case came to light after a South African woman, Tessa Beetge, revealed her link to Cwele, after she was jailed in Brazil for drug smuggling. Beetge was caught with 10 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage at Sao Paolo airport in 2008.
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