‘Fright of his life’ when delivering illegal booze

A man, who was reportedly about to unload more than 120 crates of illegal beer at an informal settlement in the east of Pretoria, “got the fright of his life” when police descended upon him.

The suspect, believed to be in his mid-30s, was arrested with illegal alcohol with a street value of around R30 000 at Cemetery View, the informal settlement behind Woodlands Mall on Thursday, according to police spokesperson Duane Lightfoot.

“To his dismay, he was caught red-handed by members of Garsfontein police who was busy with a high-visibility operation in the area.”

He was arrested under the Liquor Act for transporting liquor for delivery without an invoice.

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Lightfoot said police also arrested two more suspects, both in their 20s, for possession of drugs in Garsfontein.

Lightfoot said the operation was a joint effort with Silverton police and the security sector.

This as police throughout Tshwane held various crime prevention operations.

Police in Pretoria central arrested six suspects, between the age of 23 and 40, for possession of drugs.

Central police spokesperson constable Thabang Nkhumise said the arrests were made during a crime prevention operation with the private security industry on Wednesday.

Seven “security officials” were also arrested for working without the necessary registration.

Seven fines to the value of R3 500 were issued.

Nkumise said the high-visibility operation focused on residential visits, monitoring businesses and liquor outlet compliance.

All suspects were expected to appear at the Pretoria magistrate’s court.

Tshwane regional police arrested more than 300 people in operations held between Wednesday and Thursday for a variety of crimes in and around Pretoria.

Police spokesperson Captain Augustine Selepe said among the 324 arrests, 63 were those that committed crimes against women and children.

“Furthermore, sixteen people have been arrested for narcotics crimes, including dealing drugs and possession of dagga,” she said.