With festive season operations in full swing, the police in the Free State are zooming in on drug peddlers in the province. This follows the three major arrests in Bethlehem, Jacobsdal, and Bloemfontein this week.
According to Sergeant Sinah Mpakane, the first incident happened in Jacobsdal where three cousins, aged between 19 and 34, were arrested.
“Bloemfontein POP members, who were on patrol in Jacobsdal, followed a lead to a shack in Donkerhoek. They found dagga under a bed in a dustbin, already packaged in small plastic bags, along with mandrax tablets, crystal meth, and loose dagga stashed inside three 20-litre buckets underground. Members went as far as digging in the ground to retrieve buckets of hidden dagga,” said Mpakane.
Mpakane added that in Bloemfontein, in the Navalsig area, members of TRT and Crime Intelligence arrested a 45-year-old mother and her 22-year-old son for dealing in drugs. “Police confiscated methacathinone, hidden inside a laundry basket, that was already packaged to be sold.”
The third incident happened in Bethlehem, where Public Order Police arrested eight suspects, of which five were undocumented foreign nationals and three were South Africans. “Intelligence-driven information led police to a house in Van der Merwe Street, where they confiscated dagga, mandrax, heroine, crystal meth, and nyaope. The eight suspects were arrested for also being in possession of suspected stolen property,” said Mpakane.
According to Mpakane, in all incidents, an undisclosed amount of cash was also discovered which is believed to be the proceeds of drug peddling.
“The suspects were all charged with dealing in drugs, possession of drugs, possession of suspected stolen property, and the contravention of the Immigration Act. They appeared in different Magistrate Court’s on Thursday 24 November.”
Compiled by Justine Fortuin
