The George Cluster Anti-Drug team arrested a 27-year-old Tanzanian national, David Mbambo Lumallah, last Wednesday afternoon after he collected two suspicious parcels at the post office in York Street.
According to Captain Malcolm Pojie, the Southern Cape Police spokesperson, they found 37kg higher grade compressed dagga with an estimated street value of about R185 000 in the suspect's possession.
"At approximately 15:00 members did observation duties near the post office after they received a tip-off that the suspect was about to collect suspicious parcels at the post office. Members immediately re-cognised the suspect, who had previously been arrested for drugs, when he arrived at the post office. After he took possession of the suspicious parcels he put them in his car, which was parked in a parking lot in front of the post office," said Pojie.
When the suspect saw the police approaching him, he ran down York Street. Police eventually caught up with him and he was arrested.
The drugs were found in small plastic bags concealed inside sealed boxes. Police also confiscated the vehicle in which the drugs were meant to be transported to various locations in the Southern Cape.
Lumallah appeared in the George Magistrate's Court for the second time on Monday where he was released on R2 000 bail. The case was postponed to 25 October.
In the second bust at a house in Lawaaikamp, police arrested five Nigerian men and a South African woman, aged between 30 and 40, after Mandrax tablets and tik with a street value of R120 000 were found in their possession. The case against the woman has been provisionally withdrawn.
"They were busted after positive information was received. The information led members to a house in Melford Notshokovo Street and at about 02:00 Sunday morning these members conducted a search and found two bags containing 2 000 Mandrax tablets in a sealed 10kg cake flour bag. They continued with the search and found another bag with 500 Mandrax tablets as well as a bag with approximately 50g of tik," said Pojie.
The total street value of the drugs amounts to R120 000.
The five men appeared in the George Magistrate's Court earlier this week where the case was postponed until tomorrow (Friday 20 September) to give the police time to veri-fy the suspects' refugee status.
The Cluster Commander of George, Gene-ral Thembikile Patekile, applauded the members for their diligence in bringing these alleged drug dealers to book and again urged the public to come forward with any information that can assist the police to rid our region of drugs.
Some of the compressed dagga that was concealed in two big boxes.
ARTICLE: LIZETTE DA SILVA, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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