The alleged leaders of two of Cape Town’s most notorious gangs are set to spend the long weekend behind bars after being arrested for alleged possession of a small amount of drugs.
The arrests of the two, alleged Americans gang leader Igshaan Davids, alias “Sanie American”, along with the alleged leader of the Wonder Kids gang, Christopher “Ougat” Patterson, was confirmed yesterday by police spokesman Captain Frederick van Wyk.
He said they were arrested at about 7.20pm on Thursday, after 50 Mandrax tablets and 2.5 grams of tik were found inside a home belonging to Davids in Kensington. Four others were arrested with the two alleged gang leaders.
Van Wyk said all six would remain in custody in the cells of various police stations until their court appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Davids and Patterson have become friends recently after becoming involved in the management of a successful soccer competition run on a field in 14th Street in Kensington on Sundays.
It allows young men from the area – known as Davids’s territory, as well as from Factreton, known as Patterson’s turf, to join teams and compete on the field.
Both Davids and Patterson recently claimed to Weekend Argus that gang violence has dropped considerably since the two made peace, with former gangsters now playing sport together.
Davids has also been quoted as saying he has stopped his gang activities, and is now involved in the construction business.
But the country’s police have accused Davids of building an empire over the past three decades as a high-flying crime lord, supported by thousands of gang members while running a major drug syndicate on the Cape Flats.