Operation Shanela activities, targeting drug outlets in George, over the weekend has led to the arrest of 22 people on drug-related charges.
The operation started on Saturday, 6 April, and included raids and stop and search activities in crime ridden areas. Police spokesperson, Sergeant Christopher Spies, says with additional deployment of police, they were able to confiscate mandrax, tik and dagga during the operations.
“A total of 21 suspects were arrested on charges of possession of drugs and one for dealing in drugs.”
Arrests
Spies notes two arrests that stood out during the “Operation Shanela” activities.
A tip off on Sunday, April 7, 2024, led police in Conville to a residence on July Marakeni Street, Lawaaikamp near Conville. Upon inspection, police saw a patch of grass looking suspiciously different. Spies says this led officers to investigate further.
“They opened a hole in the ground and inside the hole discovered a Knorrox box (beef cubes box) with 500 mandrax tablets concealed inside. The vigilant members confiscated the drugs and arrested a 38-year-old Nigerian national on a charge of dealing in drugs.”
The following day, members of the Garden Route District Crime Combatting Team conducted patrols along Fiskaal Street, Conville. Spies says they noticed a suspicious individual avoiding them. After pursuing the suspect, officers conducted a search and found him in possession of 88 bankies of tik and nine mandrax tablets. The 28-year-old man was subsequently arrested for drug possession.
“All those arrested will appear in the Thembalethu Magistrates’ court once charged. These arrests and confiscations form part of concerted efforts to eradicate the proliferation of drugs in communities.”
Operations Shanela
While in Pretoria on Sunday, Police Minister Bheki Cele noted that “Operation Shanela” has secure the arrest of 551 506 suspects, since its inception in May last year.
“Officers in all nine provinces, led by the respective Provincial Commissioners, have conducted almost 70 000 (69 468) high density crime prevention and combating operations in the last 11 months,” Cele said.
