Cape Town - Two prison warders have been arrested with drugs allegedly meant to be smuggled into Drakenstein Prison.
The 27-year-old female officer and her 29-year-old male partner were nabbed after they were found with 50 mandrax tablets and 42 grams of dagga just outside a Wellington nightclub after 9 pm on Monday.
The two were apprehended by officers attached to the Crime Prevention Unit, while they were parked in their car in Denne Street, close to Club Neavou.
Club Neavou belongs to alleged Sexy Boys gang leader, Jerome “Donkie” Booysen. Booysen is linked to the underworld nightclub scene in Cape Town which two different factions are fighting over.
According to a source, who has intimate knowledge of the underworld, Booysen “owns” Drakenstein Prison.
Hardcore
“These two [wardens] have been at this for a while, but no one could ever catch them in the act,” says the source.
“They work in the maximum security section with all the hardcore prisoners. They smokkel (smuggle drugs) for the prisoners and do drop-offs.
“They have been at this for a while and their calculated measures always helped them get away.
“But elke hond kry sy dag. (Every dog has its day.) They will now be no better than those they smuggled for.”
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, confirmed the arrests and said an internal investigation is being conducted by a specialised corruption team with regard to the two wardens.
“Members of the Winelands Cluster Crime Prevention Unit were performing duties in the Wellington area on Monday, 3 June at approximately 9 pm when they searched a vehicle in Denne Street close to a nightclub,” he says.
Search
“During the search, police found 50 mandrax tablets and 42 grams of dagga. Two suspects, a female aged 27 years old and male aged 29 years old, were subsequently arrested.”
He also confirmed the two suspects are prison warders.
“It was later established that both suspects are employed as correctional officials at a correctional facility in Paarl. The pair have been remanded into custody as an internal anti-corruption team investigates the matter further,” he added.
The Department of Correctional Services did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.