Penina Park and CBD drug busts lead to arrest of suspected distributor and dealer

POLOKWANE – The continuous effort by police together with the community to root out drug dealing and curb the scourge of the abuse of drugs in the city has once again proved fruitful.  This week alone, the police nabbed two suspected drug dealers during separate sting operations in the Penina Park and the central business district (CBD) areas, respectively, said Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe.

A tip-off by a member of the public led to the arrest of the first suspect, a 35-year-old man from Penina Park. “On Monday, 18 January at around 18:20 the police received information about illegal drugs being kept at a residence in the area. Members of the Limpopo Highway Patrol team reacted swiftly and the man was arrested at the residence. The premises was searched and drugs worth and estimated R100 000 were seized,” Ngope explained.

Meanwhile during the same operation the members also arrested a 42-year-old man for transporting and dealing in drugs. “A parked vehicle was spotted on the corner of Jorrissen and Joubert streets and the members approached the driver. He was thoroughly interviewed and then searched, and 390 sachets of nyaope, with the street value of R11 500 were found inside the vehicle. Money to the value of R1 010 was also confiscated during the bust.

Both the accused are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court soon on charges related to possession and dealing of drugs.

These arrests come two weeks after a 40-year-old foreign national was apprehended and drugs to the street value of over R1 million seized, at a residence in the city. Preliminary investigations at the time revealed that the suspect was possibly the kingpin distributor of drugs to local dealers in the city. The man is still in custody and is expected to re-appear in the same court soon.

Read more: Polokwane cops swoop down on yet another drug dealer, recover drugs to the value of over R1 million