Hopewell suspects freed

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Published Apr 24, 2015

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Durban - Two people, arrested in Thornville for allegedly dealing in drugs and possession of drugs worth R400 000, were released on Thursday after their case was not enrolled at court.

The Daily News has established that the case was not enrolled at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court because the drug analysis and chain of evidence reports were not available.

The two, both aged 31, who cannot be named because they did not appear in court, were arrested in Hopewell in Thornville on Wednesday after police received a tip-off.

The Pietermaritzburg Public Order Police Task Team searched a house in Hopewell where they found 1 000 Mandrax tablets, 1 700 ecstasy tablets, 2 200 straws of whoonga and six parcels of heroin.

Police said after the arrests that the alleged drug dealers were suspected of supplying drugs as far afield as Pietermaritzburg and Estcourt.

Police involved in the arrests, who did not want to be named, said they were shocked at the outcome in court.

“We believe that the prosecutors could have granted the suspects bail pending the finalisation of investigations when the reports become available, instead of choosing not to enroll the case completely.

“That was a large stash of drugs to just allow these people to walk out of court,” one policeman said, adding that analysis reports took time to compile.

Residents in Hopewell expressed their anger at the release of the suspects, saying they deserved to be protected from drug dealers in their community.

“Drug dealers are killing our children and destroying our families and now they just walk free because of a technicality. Where is the justice?” asked Hopewell resident and mother of three, Sindi Witbooi.

Witbooi said she had lost a brother to drug addiction, who died at 15.

“This is a plague in our society. The justice system has really failed us here,” she said.

Daily News

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