Cape Town doctor sentenced for illegal medicine distribution and money laundering

A Cape Town doctor has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for money laundering, selling and distributing medicine to the value of R5 million, as well as money laundering.

This follows his arrest in 2018 along with his wife.  Bert Wolfgang Kirsten was found with medicine that were allegedly ready for distribution to the US.

SUPPLIED - Hawks: Bert Kirsten

‘’This emanates from an incident that occurred in October 2018, where scheduled medicine were seized after search warrants were executed as part of Hawks probe into an alleged illegal medicine distribution network involving multiple countries. Kirsten as well as his wife were then arrested by the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau, together with the Wynberg Visible Policing Unit at Kenilworth post office after he had handed in envelopes containing schedule medicines destined for the United States,’’ said Zinzi Hani, Hawks spokesperson in the Western Cape.

Hani said the couple appeared in court on charges of contravening the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act‚ read with the Drug and Drug Trafficking Act. The duo has since been out on bail, Wolfgang Kirsten was granted R80 000 bail while the wife on R20 000. 

Kirsten was sentenced on Friday. However, his sentence was suspended for five years under the conditions he does not commit the same offence again. Furthermore, he will be under supervision for the first 3 years of his sentence.

All counts against the wife were withdrawn.

 

Done By : Elona Sibunzi