A routine police patrol in Sydenham, west of Durban, has led to the unexpected arrest of four men, including two off-duty police officers who were transporting a haul of heroin on Thursday.
Police swooped on the men along Locksley Drive after officers from the Sydenham Trio Crimes Task Team and the Durban K9 Unit identified a white Volkswagen Polo as suspicious.
The vehicle had emerged from Sydenham Heights' A Block - notorious for its drug-related activities and drew the attention of the patrolling officers.
A police source, who cannot be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said that upon conducting a stop-and-search operation, the officers discovered a significant quantity of illegal substances.
Hidden under the driver's seat, a black plastic bag contained 400 red and white capsules, believed to be heroin. Additionally, a transparent plastic bag with 50 similar capsules was found on a headrest in the vehicle, leading to a total seizure of 450 capsules.
The shocking revelation then came to light when it was uncovered that two of the detained individuals were off-duty police officials.
The policemen, both constables, are reportedly attached to the Pietermaritzburg Public Order Policing unit.
The incident has raised concerns about police involvement in drug-related crimes in the area.
Sydenham Heights has been the epicentre of a violent drug war between warring gangs fighting over the lucrative illegal narcotics trade.
Several people have been murdered in the precinct of the tenement block of flats. Gangsters from Cape Town, known locally as “the kaapies” have waged a bloody battle against local Durban gangsters known as the Sydenham Heights Boys (SHBs) over the drug trade that span several areas west of Durban.
The suspects are expected in court soon.
IOL News