GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - A high-impact take-down in Knysna has dealt a major blow to the local drug trade, with police confiscating Mandrax tablets valued at more than R350 000 and arresting two Tanzanian nationals.
The operation, conducted on Thursday evening, 21 August, forms part of an ongoing investigation into the illicit narcotics network operating in the region.
The Knysna Crime Prevention Unit conducted a sting operation at a block of flats on Main Street, when they found 5 882 Mandrax tablets in the possession of the Tanzanian man. The police confiscated the drugs and arrested the 40-year-old man. The suspect also made financial advances to a member and consequently faces charges of dealing in drugs and bribery.
On the same day at about 20:15, the same members noticed a man leaving a shop with a suspicious parcel in his possession. They swiftly accosted the man and, upon searching, found 1 006 Mandrax tablets in a shopping bag.
The drugs estimated at R50 000 were confiscated, and the 30-year-old man, also a Tanzanian national, was arrested on a charge of dealing in drugs.
Both suspects remain in police custody and are scheduled to make their first court appearance in the Knysna Magistrate's Court today, Monday 25 August. The suspects also face charges related to the Immigration Act.
Western Cape Organised Crime Investigations (Narcotics Section) investigates both cases. The possibility that these cases are linked is being investigated.
Some of the confiscated drugs. Photo: Saps ‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
