Multiple drug busts expose thriving trade across SA

In the past month, multiple drug busts across South Africa have highlighted the persistent nature of the illegal drug trade. Lieutenant-Colonel Magonseni Nkosi of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) revealed that a 31-year-old foreign national was arrested in Mpumalanga after an intelligence-driven operation.

The suspect, who was expected to face Evander Magistrate’s Court for drug dealing charges, was found in possession of crystal methamphetamine and heroin with an estimated street value of R14,650. Additional cash and cellphones were also seized, bringing the total value of the confiscated items to R20,000.

Criminology and criminal justice expert Professor Witness Maluleke stated that the impact of the March and March protests on the drug trade remains to be seen. He emphasized that the problem is widespread, involving not only foreigners but also South Africans. Van Graan, a criminal law expert, explained that many of the fleeing foreigners were not criminals but desperate individuals with families who were seeking a safer life for their loved ones.

Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk reported that within a week, from 27 July to 2 August, police apprehended 329 alleged drug dealers and 3,242 suspects for drug possession. Additionally, on 31 July, an intelligence-led operation at OR Tambo International Airport resulted in the seizure of a cocaine consignment valued at an estimated R28 million, intercepted from a flight originating in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The drugs, including crystal meth, cat tablets, mandrax, and cellphones, were worth R212,400 and were confiscated. William Jonethen Pholman, a 40-year-old suspect, appeared in Kathu Regional Court charged with dealing in drugs after being apprehended with a parcel containing the seized items. Pholman was released on R1,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court on September 9.