Soshanguve police seize loads of dagga in Operation Clean Sweep
Soshanguve police seize loads of dagga in Operation Clean Sweep.
The dagga business seems to be booming in Soshanguve, a recent police operation revealed.
In a drive against drugs, police seized dagga with a combined street value of no less than R50 000.
At least 10 people were arrested in connection with dagga between last Friday and Tuesday, Loate police spokesperson Constable Petunia Chabangu said this week. Seven of them were caught with dagga in their possession and three were dealers.
She said the operation formed part of a deliberate effort to step up the fight against drugs and other illegal substances.
“We want to put a significant dent in the supply chain,” she said.
She said since police began with the anti-drugs drive at the beginning of July, 38 people had been arrested and Loate police were expecting to put more people behind bars in the next few weeks.
“More arrests are expected as the investigation continues,” she said.
She said four of those arrested were in possession of dagga with a street value of more than R20 000.
Chabangu said members of a specialised drug team followed up on information and searched four different residences in Winterveldt.
“Four suspects aged between 24 and 27 were arrested for being in possession of dagga,” she said.
“In the first case the contraband was neatly packed in boxes and parcels creating the impression that it was deemed for distribution. An undisclosed amount of cash was also seized.”
Chabangu said almost 100kg of dagga was seized.
In the other crimes, Chabangu said police were on routine patrols they noticed two suspicious looking men carrying a black bag.
They stopped and searched the suspects and found the black bag contained almost six shopping bags full of dagga.
The suspects, aged 24 and 27 years, were arrested and taken to the Loate Police Station.
When the police weighed the six bags they weighed almost 3kg. The estimated street value was put at R5 000.
It is believed one of the men was from Mabopane, but both of them resided in Winterveldt.
The two were charged for possession of dagga and would appear in Soshanguve Magistrates court soon.
The search has netted a variety of drugs, including nyaope and dagga.
Elsewhere in Soshanguve, a family accused of running a huge dagga operation barely 10km from Loate police station was busted.
School children were apparently used to sell the dagga around the township.
Police revealed details on Tuesday on how they believed the family ran this evil empire worth many thousands of rands.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Lolo Mangena said police finally pounced on the family on Monday morning and caught three people in possession of over 200 kilograms worth of dagga at Block GG.
The arrest took place following a tip-off from local residents.
“We are grateful for the residents who blew the whistle on illegal activities taking place in the community,” said Mangena.
Members of the flying squad were conducting regular vehicle patrols around Soshanguve early on Monday morning when a resident stopped the officers to inform them about dagga being sold out of a house in the area.
The officers searched the house and found the dagga inside.
The three arrested people, aged between 18 and 54 years of age, were expected to appear in the Soshanguve Magistrate’s Court soon.
Another tip-off recently also led to the arrest of a couple in Mabopane where the police confiscated drugs with a street value of more than R300 000.
Among the haul were 2 300 sachets of nyaope, a drug which has long plagued the residents of the city.
Mangena said police seized 60kg of dagga and 800 cocaine rocks. A man aged 35 and a 25-year-old woman were arrested.
“We are thankful to the community for coming forward with this information. It shows what we can achieve when we work together,” said Mangena.
The police were hoping to make more arrests.
“Drugs are a big problem in our communities. We need to work together with all stakeholders to get rid of the problem which affects us all,” Mangena said.
“We think many of the house robberies and break-ins are due to people wanting money for drugs,” he said.
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