An international drug smuggling syndicate uncovered in Durban and the United Kingdom in September has links to a series of countries including China, the Middle East, Europe, and South America.

This is contained in the State's affidavit handed to the Verulam Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in opposition to the granting of bail to three Britons and a South African.

The men are accused of being part of the syndicate.

Britons Paul Bromley, Paul Beasley and John Beasley and South Africans Perumal Naidoo, Morgan Athan Nadasen and Gopal Ganesh were arrested after the seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of R600-million in Durban and the UK.

The State believes that Naidoo, the Beasley brothers and Bromley are flight risks and that they should not be granted bail.

"I have established that they have contacts overseas and associates who might be very willing to assist them in order to safeguard their own interests," Detective Captain Devandran Moodley said in the affidavit.

"I have established that this syndicate has links to China, the Middle East, the sub-continent, countries north of our border, South America and Europe," he said.

The lack of extradition treaties and the lengthy extradition procedures would affect the State's case if they left the country, he said.

Moodley told the court that Nadasen and Ganesh were not flight risks.

He told the court that some State witnesses had received death threats from Bromley.

"I have received reports from all the accused that they have received threats from applicant six (Bromley) demanding that they do not co-operate with the State," he said.

Witnesses had already informed him that they felt threatened by the release of the men.

"Considering the nature and the magnitude of this matter, there is real threat that there applicants may be harbouring resentment against these witnesses."

Moodley said Paul Beasley had been convicted of possession of hashish in 1999 and fined £50. The same year, he was convicted of possession of cocaine and sentenced to community service.

In 2006, he received two years for possession of cocaine with intent to sell.

Bromley had been convicted four times for possession of drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and hashish between 1989 and 2000.

Ganesh and Bromley’s formal applications for bail will be heard on Wednesday. In their affidavits, they deny guilt on the charges against them.

In his affidavit, Ganesh contended that the State did not have a strong case against him.

"The State will rely substantially on circumstantial evidence on the basis that the business used as conduits for the export of drugs from South Africa and the UK was registered in my name," he said.

In his affidavit, Bromley said he did not know anything about the drugs recovered by the police.

However he admitted being in possession of four grams of cocaine when he was arrested. He has claimed this was for his personal use.

Nadasen and Naidoo intend bringing bail applications on November 24.

John Beasley and Bromley will appear again in court on December 11.

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