A suspended Standard Bank marketing manager has asked a Cape Town court to grant him bail, citing dangerous overcrowding at Pollsmoor Prison as a threat to his health.
This comes after 40-year-old Raed Cupido denied involvement in drug trafficking during his latest bail application on Tuesday, 15 July. He insists he is a family man, a community soccer coach, and a successful businessman being wrongfully implicated in an R18 million cocaine bust, as mentioned by the Cape Times .
Cupido was arrested on June 10 after police raided a Roeland Street storage unit, allegedly finding 15 bricks of cocaine, an AK-47, five pistols, and ammunition. Prosecutors claim he was storing the drugs for alleged 28s gang leader Ralph Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson.
However, Cupido argues he was pressured by a corrupt officer, a former Stanfield associate, into falsely confessing ownership of the narcotics in exchange for his release.
Before his arrest, Cupido held a senior marketing role at Standard Bank, earning R78,000 monthly. His career includes high-profile positions at British American Tobacco, Woolworths, and Phillip Morris, where he traveled internationally as a commercial planning manager.