Cape Town - A close relative of paroled former Hard Livings gang boss Rashied Staggie has been arrested by the police’s Operation Combat after being linked to an array of cases involving drug dealing, murder and assault.
The 27-year old woman, believed to be operating in the Bellville South area, managed to evade arrest for the past two months but was bust on Friday night while gambling at GrandWest Casino.
Members of the gang-busting team swooped on the premises after numerous attempts to track her down through family and friends were unsuccessful.
According to police sources the woman is believed to be one of the leaders of the Hard Livings gang in Bellville South and is also affiliated to the notorious 28s prison gang.
“We’ve been hunting her for a while and we finally caught up with her, not at her home, but at the casino. She has been evading arrest for the past two months,” the insider said.
Confirming the arrest, Major-General Jeremy Vearey said a “J50 warrant” was issued because the suspect’s whereabouts were unknown. He said the woman had managed to evade arrest since early September after she had been tipped-off that detectives were looking for her.
The woman, who lives in Bellville South, has been linked to several crimes under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
Among the cases being investigated are a murder case dating from January 2014, possession of five unlicensed firearms, dealing in tik and mandrax dating back to April and an assault case in September.
The suspect will appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Operation Combat, headed by Vearey, has recently come under attack, after the mother of one of the unit’s constables was shot dead and his brother was wounded in a suspected hit in Manenberg.
Simultaneously, provincial Community Safety MEC Dan Plato has been critical of the unit and its ability to tackle underworld activities.
Cape Argus