Cape Town - An Eastern Cape police officer is one of three suspects appearing in the Lusikisiki Magistrate’s Court today on charges relating to corruption, extortion, possession and dealing in cannabis.
The Eastern Cape’s Anti-Corruption team collaborated with Crime Intelligence and the Tactical Response Team to conduct a pre-dawn operation take-down on Thursday in the Makhwaleni locality in Lusikisiki, provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said in a statement.
This resulted in the arrest of three members of the community, including a police officer after the Anti-Corruption team received information about their drug activities in the area.
“According to the information, the suspects, who transported dagga between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape (and) KwaZulu Natal provinces, had been paying the police officer to escort them out of Lusikisiki to evade arrest by the police and doing so whilst using a state vehicle,” Kinana said.
During the bust, police confiscated cannabis and cannabis seeds with an estimated value of R130 000.
It has also been alleged that when the alleged dealers had buyers in the area, police would be called and get paid for escorting services.
In some instances, Kinana said, the police officer implicated in the matter would confiscate cannabis from members of the general public and sell it on to the dealers to make a profit.
Police are seeking a fourth suspect, a woman, who is believed to be on the run.
Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga commended the teams for removing corrupt elements within police ranks.
She said the South African Police Service was an organisation of professionals and those who associated with and engaged in corrupt activities did not belong in it and must be flushed out.
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African News Agency (ANA)