Cape Town - In an effort to clamp down on illicit activities as the festive season approaches, Metro Police officers recovered drugs with an estimated street value of nearly R50 000 during a crime prevention patrol last night.
It is alleged that upon their search of a white Citi Golf, the driver of the vehicle allegedly appeared to be nervous while officers were engaging with him.
Upon their discovery, the officers found two bags of tik and 700 mandrax tablets, with an estimated street value of R48 000. The suspect, 29, was thereafter arrested and detained at Strand police station.
Metro Police Department spokesperson, Superintendent Ruth Solomons, said in an effort to fight crime this festive season, the City’s enforcement agencies would continue to conduct numerous autonomous, joint and integrated operations to clamp down on illicit activities despite the challenges.
“We have discovered in recent years that drug runners have become incredibly creative when it comes to hiding the goods they are transporting – using socks, hiding drugs in the vehicle’s speakers or dashboard etc. The Metro Police’s counter to these tactics has been to use the canines, who are incredibly adept at sniffing out the contraband, no matter where it may be hidden.”
“To combat this, during the festive season, the Metro Police K9 unit will continue to reinforce and clamp down on illicit activities as the unit is an instrumental factor in detecting the presence of narcotics, not just in vehicles, but also on premises. Hence, roadblocks and vehicle checkpoints are among the operational approaches adopted in this regard and are therefore an integral part of the operational planning,” said Solomons.
According to a recent report, a DA-written parliamentary question revealed that by mid-2021, 47% of known drug houses are found in the rural areas of the Western Cape, which equates to a total of 741 premises.
Provincial Community Policing Forum member Fransina Lukas said as new and difficult challenges continues to present itself in catching the culprits, a joint effort is needed in order to eradicate illicit drug activities in the communities.
“It is always difficult to get to the big fish in order to narrow down the culprits because there are always young people. But, it's always difficult for police to get to the supplier and the big merchants.
“For the festive season, if we could have more operations, more visible patrols with more stop-and-searches, we are sure to have a more successful outcome as a collective, which includes the community and the police.”
“Right now, people are too scared to come forward with information because they feel they will end up as victims of these culprits. So, we encourage people who have this information to come forward, and as a Community Police Forum, we also do our best to educate to inform and to train our people on what is the best way and safest way to work with police to give information so that we can eradicate drugs from our streets,” said Lukas.
Solomons continues to urge community members to not be afraid to say something if they see something that compromises safety in their neighbourhood.
“Many of our successes are the result of tip-offs from residents, and we encourage more residents to work with their local enforcement services and community policing structures. Any tip-offs can be directed via the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline,” said Solomons.
Weekend Argus