Inside the night police shut down suspected drug operations on the West Rand
Intelligence-driven crackdowns uncovered narcotics caches, ammunition, copper tampering equipment and multiple detainees during co-ordinated law-enforcement actions spanning throughout Gauteng corridors.
A suspected hijacking in Westonaria, cable theft in Quellerie Park and a string of major drug busts across Randfontein and Roodepoort formed part of a high-impact operation by the West Rand Flying Squad (WRFS), which led to several arrests and the seizure of drugs worth hundreds of thousands of rand.
According to WRFS spokesperson Karen du Plessis, officers carried out a series of intelligence-driven operations between April 27 and 29, confiscating drugs, firearms and suspected stolen infrastructure during the crackdown.
The first arrest unfolded on April 27 while officers were patrolling Bainskloof in Westonaria. Police spotted a person allegedly attempting to hijack a vehicle and moved in swiftly to stop the incident. The suspect was arrested and found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm pistol, an empty magazine and five live rounds of ammunition, with the firearm valued at about R10 000.
Just two days later, in the early hours of April 29, officers caught another person red-handed in Quellerie Park, allegedly digging up about 50m of power cable. Police confiscated two pickaxes, a shovel and a crowbar at the scene.
Also read: Dealership burglary in Silverfields sees 2 caught
But it was the wave of drug arrests later that day that exposed the scale of narcotics activity operating across the West Rand.
At around 13:30, officers followed up on information in Davidsonville, Roodepoort, where a person was arrested with six Mandrax tablets valued at R396.
Hours later, at about 16:00, police descended on Randfontein, where multiple arrests followed in quick succession.
In one case, officers arrested a person found with 21g of Crystal Meth and 20g of Cat, with an estimated street value of R11 261. In a separate arrest, another was allegedly caught with 5g of Crystal Meth and 10g of Cat worth R3 975.
Police then uncovered an even larger stash in Randfontein, arresting a person found with 54 Mandrax tablets, 62g of Crystal Meth and 36g of Cat, valued at about R31 118.
Another person was later arrested in possession of 6g of Crystal Meth worth R1 806.
The biggest breakthrough came at around 18:30, when officers arrested a suspect allegedly found with 379g of Crystal Meth and 157g of Cat, with an estimated street value of R152 858.
Du Plessis said the arrests formed part of the WRFS’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on violent crime, drug trafficking and infrastructure theft across the region.
