Ten police officers appeared at the Bergville and Ladysmith Magistrates Court today (Thursday) on corruption charges.
They were released by the court on bail of R1000-00 each and their cases were remanded to August 15. These arrests are as a result of a long term multi-disciplinary investigation conducted in the Bergville area to curb the smuggling of dagga.
During the investigation the investigation team received information that police officers were also complicit in the drug smuggling and were in some cases aiding the smugglers.
For the duration of the investigation several members were observed during dagga smuggling operations in the Upper Tugela and Bergville areas. Following an intensive investigation, the suspects were swiftly arrested yesterday by Provincial Detectives and other operational units.
These police officers who are aged between 30 and 55 were immediately served with notices informing them that they are suspended from the SAPS. All ten of these police officers were stationed at Upper Tugela, Ematsheni and Bergville SAPS.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded the arrest of these police officials. “It is totally unacceptable to find police officers complicit in the trafficking of drugs.
These arrests once again demonstrates that the SAPS is willing to act on police officers that are accused of committing crimes. As the investigation progresses, we can expect more arrests,” she said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
If you are reading this on your cellphone and there are telephone numbers provided in the text, you can call these simply by clicking on them.
To receive news links via WhatsApp.
For the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
