A 41-year-old lawyer was initially arrested for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the Kuils River Magistrates’ Court.
The perpetrator has allegedly had prior encounters with the law and has two cases pending against him in other courts.
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The lawyer, Ayanda Lennox Pupa, tried to smuggle 79 sachets of marijuana sealed in clingwrap along with Mandrax tablets into the court. He was arrested on 4 after being searched by a court orderly. On the day in question, Pupa was said to have entered the court building despite not having to represent any clients that day.
In prior run-ins with the law, he had been charged with allegedly distributing drugs to dealers in holding cells.
The lawyer was denied bail in the Kuils River court on Friday, 21 June. The basis for the denial of bail rested on the fact that Pupa was already on bail in connection with two prior charges.
As it stands, Pupa intends to plead not guilty at his trial, and the State is working to combine the three cases he has racked up, as the charges all relate to instances of smuggling narcotics into courts or holding cells.
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