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• British tourist held for tik

A British man accused of dealing in drugs worth R2.7 million will remain in custody at Pollsmoor Prison for the rest of the week.

Peter Parnell was arrested on Wednesday after the Hawks acted on information of illegal activity in the Table View area.

They found 9kg of tik at a storage facility in Potsdam Road, Table View.

Parnell, in SA on a tourist visa, appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Prosecutor Naziroedien Rajap told the court the tik was found at a property Parnell was renting, but that he was arrested at the Upper East Side Hotel in Salt River where he also rented accommodation.

Rajap asked that the case be postponed for a week because the Hawks needed to check the his identity and for Interpol to confirm whether he had a criminal record.

“The accused uses different surnames on documents that were obtained during his arrest. The investigating officer also wants to liaise with (Interpol) regarding his criminal record,” Rajap said.

Parnell’s lawyer, David Mbazwana, objected to the postponement, saying his client had a fixed address and that a local pending case of domestic violence was dropped two weeks ago.

Police should also have obtained the necessary information from Interpol as Parnell was arrested on Wednesday, Mbazwana said.

They had his passport and could confirm his identity using that document.

Parnell will remain behind bars until his next appearance on Friday.

jade.witten@inl.co.za - Cape Argus