Notorious Cape Town drug dealer Fadwaan 'Vet' Murphy handed 18 years in jail

22 January 2024 - 17:36 By Kim Swartz
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Fadwaan Murphy's trial has been concluded. He has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
Fadwaan Murphy's trial has been concluded. He has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars.
Image: Facebook/Fadwaan Murphy

Notorious drug kingpin Fadwaan “Vet” Murphy has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment and fined R2m after the court found his drug dealing resulted from “greed for money and power”.  

He was sentenced in the Cape Town high court on Friday. 

Murphy, 51, was convicted in 2023 of 197 counts relating to charges of running a criminal enterprise that flooded the Cape Flats with tik. 

National Prosecuting Authority  spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the state argued his company Ulterior Trading Solutions was used as a front to conceal his drug dealing and money-laundering. 

His ex-wife, Shafieka Murphy, 57, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for managing an enterprise "conducted through a pattern of racketeering activity". 

“[He] was convicted on a count of receiving or retaining property derived from or through a pattern of racketing activity, 112 counts of attempting to deal in drugs, a count of dealing in drugs [and] 72 counts of money-laundering,” said Ntabazalila. 

The court found  Murphy used the company’s money to purchase a five-bedroom house with two swimming pools in Parklands and other properties in Strand and Worcester. 

Prosecutor advocate Aradhana Heeramun said: “They conducted their unlawful activity as if they were conducting a legitimate business with a blatant disregard for the law.” 

Their aim was to enrich themselves, but it came at a high price as they destroyed communities and the lives of people, Heeramun said after calling Det-Col Johan Smit, who has 34 years experience investigating drug-related cases and who noted the Western Cape has the most drug-related crimes in South Africa. 

“Western Cape director of public prosecutions advocate Nicolette Bell applauded the investigating and prosecution team for their tenacity in piecing together the case despite the challenges they faced and their resolve during the marathon five-year trial,” said Ntabazalila. 

Murphy applied to appeal and the case has been postponed to January 29. 

TimesLIVE


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