Randfontein became the epicentre of a sweeping West Rand police operation this week, as officers from the West Rand Flying Squad (WRFS) closed in on suspected drug dealers in a series of raids that uncovered narcotics worth more than R150 000.

What began as intelligence-driven follow-ups quickly escalated into a night of back-to-back arrests, with police moving across different parts of Randfontein as the operation unfolded.

Also read: Residents protest persistent water cuts at Rand West municipal offices

According to WRFS spokesperson Karen du Plessis, the arrests formed part of co-ordinated operations conducted between April 27 and 29 across the West Rand, with most of the significant drug busts taking place in Randfontein on April 29.

At about 16:00, officers acted on information and arrested a person allegedly found with 21g of Crystal Meth and 20g of Cat, with an estimated street value of R11 261.

Shortly afterwards, police made another arrest in a separate Randfontein operation. This time, a suspect was allegedly caught with 5g of Crystal Meth and 10g of Cat worth about R3 975.

But the night was far from over.

At about 17:00, officers uncovered a larger drug stash when another suspect was allegedly found in possession of 54 Mandrax tablets, 62g of Crystal Meth and 36g of Cat, valued at roughly R31 118.

An hour later, police arrested yet another, allegedly carrying 6g of Crystal Meth worth R1 806.

Then came the operation’s biggest breakthrough.

At around 18:30, officers arrested a suspect allegedly found with 379g of Crystal Meth and 157g of Cat, with an estimated street value of R152 858 – the largest seizure recorded during the crackdown.

While Randfontein remained the primary focus, the WRFS operations stretched across the West Rand and led to several other arrests.

On April 27, officers patrolling Bainskloof in Westonaria allegedly caught a person attempting to hijack a vehicle. Police intervened and recovered an unlicensed 9mm pistol, an empty magazine and five live rounds of ammunition, valued at around R10 000.

In another incident during the early hours of April 29, officers arrested a person allegedly digging up about 50m of power cable in Quellerie Park. Police confiscated two pickaxes, a shovel and a crowbar.

Police also arrested a person in Davidsonville, Roodepoort, after allegedly finding six Mandrax tablets worth R396 in the suspect’s possession.

Du Plessis said the arrests formed part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking, violent crime and infrastructure theft across the region.