The officer got into the back of the car that I was in, and we set off in a convoy.
'What is all this about?' I asked. 'Why have you arrested us?'
'I haven't arrested you. We want to ask you some questions, so we are bringing you to the main police station in East London.'
'Why were you looking for us?'
'I am not able to answer your questions. You will find out when you arrive at the station.'
Clearly I wasn't going to get any further information, so I kept quiet.
When we arrived at the central East London police station, they opened some large metal doors, and we were driven off the street into an enclosed yard with a five-meter high fence around it. There was a loud clang as the gates closed behind us.
After we had got out of the vehicles, the Officer said to me: 'Follow me there is somebody you know who is waiting to speak to you.'
'What will happen to the others?' I asked as it was clear that they were being taken in a different direction.
'They will be taken to a different room, and you will rejoin them later. Don't worry they will be well looked after.'
The officer seemed to be almost apologetic when he talked to me. It was very strange, and I was starting to wonder what was going on and who I was about to meet.
I was shown into an interview room where I was instructed to sit on one side of a small table. The door opened, and to my amazement, Johan Nel came into the room. He sat opposite me.
Whatever degree of confusion I had been in was multiplied tenfold. What on earth was Johan Nel doing here?
'You didn't listen to me did you?' He gave me a big grin. 'I bet that you are surprised to see me here in a police station. I am sorry that I wasn't able to reveal my exact role to you yesterday at your hotel, but I wasn't too sure whether I could trust you.'
'I am utterly confused; how come you are here?' I exclaimed. 'I assume that you are attached to the police in some way.'
'You understand correctly. I am head of the South African Police's International drug squad and am based in Pretoria. I am currently trying to crack a large syndicate that are importing massive amounts of drugs into the country hidden in containers carrying luxury cars.'
'So we are after the same thing,' I added. 'You are after the drugs and I am after the luxury cars.'
'That's correct. I have been working on this case for some considerable time, and I was afraid that you would, to put it mildly, screw everything up for me. The last thing that I needed was a blundering amateur investigator blowing the case apart.'
'Thanks very much. I’m flattered. So that's why you warned me off.'
'Yes, that's why I told you to get lost.'
'So what happens now?'
'I have two alternatives: The first is that I lock you and your colleagues up in the cells here until I have finished the case. The second is that I use you to supplement my team and get your help in cracking the case.'
'So which course of action have you decided on?' I was naturally very interested to see how I would be spending the next few days.
'I am willing to let you go, but before I do, I want you to give me certain guarantees,' Johan Nel replied.
'All I want to do is track the containers to their final destination and confirm that it is Hansie Joubert, who is the brains behind the operation,' I stressed. 'I have no interest in the drug side of the operation.'
'If we can prove that Mr Joubert is behind the drug running and the smuggling of luxury cars, then we can arrest him and his cronies and get them off the street,' Johan added.
'So how can I help and ensure that I don't get in your way,' I inquired.
'Let's have a meeting with the rest of my team and we can discuss the situation. You can let the rest of your group attend the meeting, so they are aware of what transpires. I can also introduce my crew to them. I suggest that you go and speak to your companions now as they must be rather worried.'
‘Thank you; I will,’ I replied.
Chapter 23
Needless to say, when I finally joined up with my two colleagues they were looking decidedly uncomfortable.
'What's happening?' Reggie fired at me standing up and approaching me from across the room. He hardly gave me time to get in through the door of where they were being held.
'Calm down Reg. Relax, there is no major problem. You will be relieved to hear that we are going to be released. We won’t be branded as criminals.'
I then went on to explain who exactly Johan Nel was, the reason for our detention on the road leading into East London and our continued involvement in the operation.'
A few minutes later we were brought to a much larger meeting room where there were six police officers including Johan Nel.
We received some strange looks from the assembled group. It was obvious that Johan Nel had, as yet, not explained our future involvement to the rest of his team.
Once we were seated, he commenced the meeting.
'Gentlemen, I would like to introduce these gentlemen to you.’ He waved his arm in our direction ‘The one on the left is Major Vince Hamilton, and he comes from London.' He pointed at me. 'The Major is the leader of the group; next to him is Dale Fortuin, who is from Jo'burg, and, finally, there is Captain Reggie Talbot, who is also from London. In summary, they are as interested in the arrival of the vessel Johannes Maersk as we are. For your information, the shipping containers that we suspect contain significant quantities of drugs, also contain luxury cars that have been stolen from the streets of London. Would you like to tell us about the cars Major?' He turned to me, giving me an opportunity to speak.
'Yes, I will tell you as much as I know,' I added. 'Basically, a very well organized gang have been stealing luxury cars such as Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis from the London streets. We now know that the cars are taken to a container depot in north London and locked away inside twenty-foot containers. One car per container. Of interest is the fact that all the containers that they use are sky blue in colour. They then ship these containers to Mombasa and East London. In the current shipment that we have been following three of the cars were dropped off by the ship in Mombasa for delivery to Uganda and the other five have come on here. The name stated on the manifest for both drops is Hansie Joubert of Natal Shipping Agency.'
‘Major, perhaps you should tell them what happened in Mombasa when Captain Talbot tried to follow the trucks carrying the containers,’ Johan suggested.
‘While they were waiting for the trucks to pass, close to main road, they were attacked by a helicopter,’ I explained. ‘The Captain here managed to escape unharmed; however, the police officer who was with him was shot in the leg and hit by some shrapnel from a hand grenade. He is currently recovering in a hospital in Mombasa.’
‘This incident shows that they mean business,’ Johan emphasised.
'Are you sure that the cars are still in the containers and weren't offloaded in Durban?' One of the officers asked.
'I can't be one hundred percent certain, but the paperwork showed their destination as East London,' I replied.
'I can confirm that the containers were not offloaded,' Johan Nel said. 'We had the ship under observation the whole time it was in Durban.'
'As I mentioned, the company name on the manifest was Natal Shipping Agency, and the head of that company is Hansie Joubert,' I continued. 'We have had a look at their depot in Kyalami in Midrand and can assume that the cars will be taken out of the containers at that location.'
'It is our belief that the drugs will also remain in the containers until they arrive in Kyalami,' Johan chipped in.
'If you are so sure that the containers' final destination is Midrand, what are we all doing here?' Another of the officers in the room asked.
'Brett, we needed to make sure that the containers are in fact offloaded here and aren't left on board until it gets to Cape Town,' Johan gave the answer.
'It doesn't take nine people to confirm the arrival of five containers,' Brett continue
d with quite an aggressive tone.
'That is one of the reasons that I called this meeting,' Johan said. 'I just want the local police and the Custom's officers to be seen around the port. They can give us the information that we need. It is vital that Hansie Joubert's people don't observe any suspicious activities or see people who are not normally around the dock area. We can keep in touch with the harbour police by radio.'
This was a complete change of the plan that I had developed for my little team of three. We had decided amongst ourselves to follow the trucks carrying the cars to confirm that they did indeed go to Johannesburg. I wasn't too sure what Johan Nel was actually suggesting.
'Are you saying that we should all travel to Midrand and wait there for the containers to arrive?' I inquired. 'What happens if they are taken to some other location?' I could picture myself waiting in Johannesburg for the cars to arrive only to learn later that they had been taken elsewhere. We would look total fools if that happened.
'No Major, we will still keep an eye on the containers and monitor their journey,' Johan answered my query. 'We will allocate members of our team to various towns along the way, and they can check them as they pass through these towns. We can confirm their movement by radio.'
'That certainly sounds like a full proof arrangement.' I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't want to leave anything to chance. 'Have you decided who should go to what towns yet?'
'Yes, and I have allocated Queenstown to your group. It is two hundred and forty kilometres north of here and will take the trucks about three hours to get to. I suggest that you book into the Sterling Hotel, which has rooms fronting onto the main street. That will put you in the right place and still leave you out of sight.'
'Is there a danger that they will use a back road, and we will miss them?' I asked.
'No, there are no other roads suitable for a large truck until they get to Bloemfontein. Once there they will have a number of options. I will have people in Aliwal North, which is the next big town on the route after Queenstown, and I myself will be in Bloemfontein.'
'So you want us to let you know by radio when the trucks pass us?'
'That's correct; I will give you the frequency and call sign that you must use. The radios will automatically scramble and unscramble the messages just in case somebody is listening on our wavelength, as they often do. Newspaper reporters listen in on our frequency in the hope of getting stories.'
'Have you an update on the present position of the Johannes Maersk?' I asked him.
'Yes, the vessel should dock in East London this evening around seventeen hundred hours. We can expect the containers to be offloaded at around twenty hundred hours. It will be all action tonight.'
'Will they not wait until the morning to unload the ship?' Reggie inquired.
'They pay the Dockers overtime so as the ship can be turned around as fast as possible. It will definitely be offloaded tonight.'
Johan Nel went over to a table on which there were a number of radio sets.
'Here you are Major; you can take one of these.' He handed one of the sets to me. 'I take it that you can drive one of these.' He smiled.
'Yes, I shouldn't have any problems in using one although it is a bit newer than the ones I am used to.'
'Keep it close to you at all times just in case there is a change of plan,' Johan added. 'I will confirm when the trucks leave East London so as you don't miss them. Don't plan on arriving in Jo'burg until tomorrow morning. The trucks will have to stop for a few hours during the night to comply with the law on driver’s hours.'
'I'll plan on leaving Queenstown at 4.00am tomorrow morning; that should give plenty of time for the trucks to get close to their destination.'
'I will give you the details of the location close to Midrand where we can meet tomorrow morning,' Johan added. 'I don't want loads of people arriving near the depot and giving the game away.'
'I'll stay well away until you let me know it is safe to go in,' I said.
'Right guys, my last word of advice,' Johan addressed the whole group. 'We must not give any indication to our opponents that we are on to them. Our purpose tonight is not to capture them but merely to confirm that the containers are going to Kyalami. Don't get too close and give the game away, and that includes your team, Major.'
'I understand Johan, and we will be very cautious.'
'Any further questions?' he asked.
Everyone kept dumb, so he dismissed us.
Three very relieved private investigators went outside to the police station compound to collect our vehicle. Everything was as we had left it, including our two guns. They opened the large metal doors that led to the outside world to let us out, and we headed up through the town and towards the road to Johannesburg. The next stage of our operation had begun.
'I have never been, so shit scared in my life,' Dale was the first to speak. 'They could have locked us up and kept us under lock and key until they had captured the gang and confiscated the drugs.'
'You are not the only one who was terrified,' Reggie added. 'When we were sitting waiting for you to rejoin us Vince, all sorts of scenarios were playing out in my head. I convinced myself that I would be locked up for a month or more.'
'I think the fact that we were both ex-army men Reg, helped a lot in convincing Johan Nel that we could be of use to them, and that is why he let us go.'
'I am amazed that we have got involved in something a lot bigger than you described to me originally,' Dale interjected.
'Clearly millions of dollars are involved in the drugs side of their operation,' I suggested. 'The money made from the luxury cars is minuscule in comparison to the drugs, but they do make an excellent camouflage for their operation. This guy Hansie Joubert must be raking in millions, and he will not surrender his empire without a fight.'
'It’s fortunate that we didn't go at them like a bull in a china shop. We are now in a much stronger position having the South African police force alongside us,' Reggie said. 'I don't imagine that the gang we are up against take any prisoners. I still remember the attack by the helicopter in Kenya. That was really frightening.'
'I am glad that you brought that up Reg. I will hand the driving over to Dale now so as we can both have our guns available in case of an ambush along the way.'
I pulled into the side of the road, and we changed places. I sat in the front passenger seat, and Reggie got in the back with Dale driving. We stayed that way until we reached Queenstown.
Johan Nel had suggested that we stay at the Sterling Hotel on the main street. I could see why when we reached there. It was ideal for our purposes as it had a veranda overlooking the main street, so we would be able to observe the road while staying out of sight. We were also able to park the 4 x 4 around the back out of sight. The hotel was quite small having only five bedrooms. Luckily there were no other guests, so they were delighted to welcome us. The owner explained that most of their guests were commercial travellers and never stayed on a Friday, so he was always able to accommodate casual callers at the weekend. He also explained that he didn't do food on a Friday evening; however, he told us that there was a Nando's in the town within easy walking distance of the hotel. The whole set up suited us ideally.
It was now three o'clock in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to kill before the trucks would pass. If Johan Nel was correct in his timings, then we wouldn't see any action till at least 10.00pm. We decided to mount the first watch at twenty-one hundred hours.
By consensus, we decided it was time to sample the local Nando's as we were all starving.
Chapter 24
We rested in our rooms during the afternoon and returned to Nando's Restaurant for our evening meal. We were on our way back to the hotel after eating when the radio buzzed.
I unclipped the radio from my belt and pressed the receive button.
'Are you there Major; Johan Nel here?'
'Receiving you loud and clear,' I answered.
'Please note that a total
of twelve blue containers have been offloaded from the Johannes Maersk in East London.’
‘Did you say twelve containers? Should that not be five?’ I queried.
‘No, there were definitely twelve sky blue containers offloaded and, to confuse us even more, they have all been loaded onto trucks with Gauteng registration plates.'
‘Are you going to follow all twelve?’ I asked.
‘No, but we need to find out which ones are ours,’ Johan replied. ‘Do you know if the police in London are still tracking them?'
'I don't think so, but I will have to check.'
'Do that and get back to me.'
'Will do: Is it safe to use the telephone at the hotel?'
'No: Go to the local police station which you will find in Sticht Street and use the 'phone there. I will warn them you are coming.'
'Fine: Over and out.'
'What's that all about?' Dale inquired.
'We have a small problem. A total of twelve sky blue containers were taken off the ship in East London and placed on trucks with Gauteng Registration plates.’
'What does Gauteng mean?' Reggie asked.
'Gauteng is the province for Johannesburg and Pretoria, so all the trucks are likely to be going to the same area,' Dale explained.
'That's right, so it is a big muddle at the moment,' I added. 'Johan Nel has asked me to contact the tracking centre in London to see if they can help. All the containers we are interested in have transponders on them, but, as far as I am aware, they can’t be tracked in the Southern Hemisphere. I will go to the local police station and 'phone the centre from there, you two can keep watch from my balcony.'
'That's a bit of a bugger, Vince,' Reggie commented. 'What happens if they aren't able to track them?'
'We will physically have to obtain the identity number of the containers using our eyes, so as we can match them with the registration numbers of the trucks. Each container has a unique identity number. We know which ones we are after because the number of the container was on the shipping documents.'
An African Adventure (Vince Hamilton Private Investigator Book 4) Page 22
