A case centred around cocaine allegedly found on a bouncer last year, who has been involved in Cape Town's notorious nightclub security industry for years, and which resulted in claims of possible underhanded police dealings, has been withdrawn.
This is one of several underworld-related cases which have recently been withdrawn in Cape Town.
Attorney Bruce Hendricks confirmed to News24 that the case was withdrawn against Jacques Cronje in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Cronje was arrested for cocaine dealing in the Cape Town city centre in June last year.
At the time, several claims were made that the cocaine had been planted to specifically ensure that Cronje was taken into custody.
Six sources, with ties to the underworld and police matters, had told News24 that Cronje might have been set up and that the cocaine could have been planted.
Four of the sources pointed to members of a rival grouping involved in nightclub security, who they believe were intent on tripping up Cronje and those associated with him.
News24 previously reported that it was understood that Cronje had given a lift to another underworld figure, who was also involved in the nightclub security industry, before the drugs were allegedly found in his possession.
Extortion case
Cronje also faces a charge of extortion along with suspected underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack and three co-accused - Ashley Fields, Carl Lakay and Colin Booysen, the brother of suspected Sexy Boys gang boss Jerome Booysen.
This case relates to the alleged forcing of their security services on a restaurant.
During their bail application, which was heard shortly after their arrests in December 2017 and continued until the end of February 2018, the cocaine case was elaborated on.
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Chad Levendal, who represented Cronje legally in the extortion matter, said a police officer known as "Skollie" had pulled him over in the Cape Town city centre June last year. This incident led to his arrest.
"The suspicious part about this Skollie, was that he was in fact not meant to be working that day," Levendal had said.
The investigating officer in the extortion case, Charl Kinnear, had replied saying that he knew many skollies (petty criminals), but not a "Skollie" as Levendal mentioned.
Modack and three other accused were each granted R10 000 bail in the Cape Town extortion case, while a fifth accused was granted R5 000 bail.
Withdrawn cases
The group is expected back in the Cape Town Regional Court for this case at the end of May.
Previously, Modack and Cronje faced an attempted extortion charge in Johannesburg, but this was withdrawn earlier in May.
In January, Modack and a relative had also been charged with car theft in a Cape Town case which was later withdrawn in the Bellville Magistrate's Court.
Modack and 12 other men were arrested in the winelands town of Worcester on November 28 on charges of business robbery and assault relating to a debt collection.
This case was withdrawn in December.