Johannesburg - Engelezi Mngomezulu was born poor in rural Mpumalanga. But this week, when police raided his houses and attached property, it was the coming down of a very rich man.

From a young boy in deep rural Daggakraal to the alleged Sandton multimillion-rand drug kingpin with international links, Mngomezulu's transformation was complete. His major undoing was simple though: impulsive spending, combined with greed.

This former Soweto taxi driver could spend big: numerous houses in plush suburbs, mostly bought in sets of three for his three kids; children in the same Swiss school as the Swiss president's children; and a travel bill for him and his wife that ran up to R370 000 in just over a year.

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