In 2022, Daily Maverick reported that Indian authorities intercepted drugs, worth R4.3-billion, hidden in consignments of apples, pears and oranges from South Africa. Now, more details about the case are surfacing, along with accusations of fraud in this country. A fresh produce importer in India may soon know whether he faces more time in state custody in a case involving R4.3-billion worth of drugs that arrived in that country in fruit consignments sent from South Africa three years ago.
In early October 2022, police in India discovered methamphetamine and cocaine, worth billions of rands, hidden between oranges that were imported there from this country. A few days later, they found another consignment of cocaine, worth about R1.1-billion, hidden between green apples also sent there from South Africa. An accused, Vigin Varghese, was previously arrested in India, where he remains criminally charged and at the centre of a legal battle.
In South Africa, meanwhile, the saga has sparked claims of fraud and denials of wrongdoing – that another individual is to blame. It is not clear how far police in this country have got with investigations into the narcotrafficking or holding anyone to account for it. In 2022, South African Police Service (SAPS) officers pledged to help their Indian counterparts investigate the overcall case.
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Daily Maverick has struggled to get an update from the national SAPS on what has happened since then. A query sent on 17 November 2025 and another on 8 December (with a prompt the following day) have not been responded to. Over the past few months, attention in law enforcement has been on an unprecedented scandal involving accusations that a drug cartel known as the Big Five has infiltrated South Africa’s criminal justice system and politics.
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