The Western Cape continues to grapple with a troubling rise in drug-related crime, as law enforcement authorities intensify operations across communities increasingly affected by substance abuse and trafficking.
In the latest arrest, a 29-year-old man is due to appear in the Muizenberg Magistrates’ Court on charges of drug possession following a targeted police operation that uncovered a significant quantity of drugs hidden inside a residential property.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) says members of Operation Prosper, deployed in Steenberg and Muizenberg, acted on intelligence that led them to a house in Orchard Street, Hillview.
“The members were conducting crime prevention operations in the Hillview area when they received information about drugs at a premises on Orchard Street. They followed up the information and searched the identified premises. During the search, the members found 27 mandrax tablets, 16.94 grams of uncut methamphetamine and 86 small sachets containing methamphetamine hidden in the oven in the house.”
Police spokesperson Vincent Mukhathi says the arrest forms part of a wider national crackdown that has seen thousands of suspects taken in within just one week, with the Western Cape recording the highest number of drug-related arrests across all provinces.
“Between 20 and 26 April 2026, nationwide operations led to the arrest of 15,367 suspects for various crimes. These include 284 alleged drug dealers and 2,241 suspects arrested for possession of drugs, with the highest number of arrests recorded in the Western Cape (1,063),” Mukhathi added.
