Enhanced police visibility in and around our towns through the strategic deployment of our members on our vital entry and exit routes, main roads and secondary roads, again yielded excellent results with the confiscation of a substantial amount of illicit drugs and liquor, followed by an arrest of suspect found in possession of Tik to an estimated value of R100 000-00.
Members attached to Operation Restore in the Southern Cape were executing duties at a roadblock on the N-2 near Sedgefield between George and Knysna when they pulled over a passenger bus en-route to Cape Town.
Members ensued with a search and found a black bag that was wrapped inside the luggage compartment of two of the passengers. With further inspection of the black bag, members discovered that it was concealing 1013 grams of Tik with an estimated value of about R354 550-00.
The find was confiscated and the two suspects aged 48 and 39 were arrested and later detained at the Knysna police holding cells. They have been charged with dealing in drugs and are scheduled to appear in the Knysna Magistrates’ court on Monday, 27 March 2023.
These arrests follows the confiscation of a substantial quantity of dagga worth about R280 000-00 and Gin of about R7500-00 on 23 March 2023 during a vehicle check point (VCP) on the same route. Members attached to Knysna SAPS pulled over another passenger bus and with the search found 10 bales of dagga weighing 14kg each as well as a box containing 6x25lt of Gilby’s dry gin.
No arrests was made as no one could be linked to the find. However, investigation into the discovery is ongoing.
In an unrelated but similar incident, on Saturday, 25 March 2023 at about 14:00, members attached to the Knysna SAPS Stabilization Team pulled over another passenger bus en-route to Cape Town and with the search that ensued found hand luggage containing 3020 grams of compressed dagga with an estimated value of about R24 000-00 inside.
A 19-year-old suspect en-route from Mthatha to Cape Town, was arrested on a charge of possession of drugs, alternatively Drug trafficking.
The 19-yer-old suspect is scheduled to appear in the Knysna Magistrates’ court on Monday, 27 March 2023.
Eden District Commissioner Maj Gen Norman Modishana lauded the members for their dedication and vigilance to rid the communities from the scourge of drug trafficking and abuse which threaten the wellbeing of communities in the province. “The abuse of drugs and drug trafficking remains a major concern as it is a contributor to the commission of other and more serious crimes, specifically in the rural towns,” he concluded.
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