A man died this morning after he swallowed an undisclosed amount of drugs in an attempt to hide them from police officers during Operation Shanela raids in Springs.

Ekurhuleni SAPS acting district commissioner Brigadier Lebohang Machakela says the police’s drug division unit found the man at one of the identified drug locations.

“He was taken into police custody and after a short while, he fell ill. The police took him to a nearby clinic, where he was referred to the Far East Rand Hospital,” adds Machakela.

The man was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.