All 16 police officers who were arrested on a string of charges ranging from dealing in drugs to racketeering and defeating the ends of justice have been granted bail in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court in Ekurhuleni, east of Gauteng.
The officers are alleged to have been stealing drugs that had been confiscated from drug mules at the OR Tambo International Airport. They were arrested over the weekend.
It is alleged the actions of the officers resulted in the drug mules being charged with possession of drugs that were of a lesser weight than the amount of drugs they were actually transporting.
The 16 Gauteng police officers quietly stood in the dock, wearing civilian clothing. They were each granted bail of R15 000.
The suspects will return to court on the 14th of October after their case was postponed for further investigations.
The Hawks nabbed 12 of the suspects on Friday, while the other four handed themselves over to police at the weekend.
A 17th suspect will be added to the docket at a later stage as he is COVID-19 positive and is currently in isolation.
