A total of 274 people were arrested for drug-related crimes between Monday March 13 and Friday March 17 in the Mitchell’s Plain SAPS cluster.
The cluster includes Mitchell’s Plain, Lentegeur, Strandfontein, Steenberg, Grassy Park, Lansdowne, Athlone and Philippi police stations.
The police searched 60 drug houses a* d found 56 grams of heroin, 630 grams of tik, 448 grams of mandrax, 4.2 grams of cocaine and 2 391 grams of dagga.
They also confiscated alcohol at 15 illegal shebeens and arrested five people on liquor-related charges.
In the same week five people were arrested for being in possession of four illegal firearms and ammunition. They will appear in court soon.
According to Mitchell’s Plain SAPS spokesperson, Captain Ian Williams, 106 cases related to crimes against women and children have been reported – police have subsequently arrested seven suspects on charges related to these crimes.
The police also arrested 26 wanted suspects during 17 tracing operations. Throughout the week the police visited 39 second-hand goods premises and 614 spaza shops.
Captain Williams said at one roadblock, six fines to the value of R6 500 were issued for traffic violations.
He added that 137 vehicle check-points were held and 2 740 stop-and-searches carried out which led to eight arrests for the possession of dangerous weapons, 12 arrests for stolen property and two for possession of house-breaking.
On Wednesday March 15, members of Lentegeur SAPS assisted a private investigator in a counterfeit goods case. A search warrant was obtained and members proceeded to a residence in Morgen’s Village where they searched the house and found two plastic bags containing counterfeit goods to the value of R4 500.
The 43-year-old owner of the house faces charges under the Counterfeit Goods Act.
To rid the community of counterfeit and stolen goods, SAPS have appealed to the community to blow the whistle and report illegal activities and the whereabouts of criminals to their local police station, to inform the authorities of illegal second-hand goods dealers/ recyclers in the area and have warned the community not to buy stolen goods.
A 19-year-old man has been charged with attempted robbery after trying to rob a man of his neck chain. The man was walking with his brother in Imperial Street, Eastridge, on Tuesday March 14 shortly after 2pm when he was approached by an unknown man who demanded that he give him his chain.
The suspect threatened him with a knife and tried to grab the complainant’s chain from him. Two detectives driving past saw what was happening and stopped to intervene.
The suspect then started running, but was apprehended by police.
The police have called on the community to help with a murder investigation. On Sunday March 12, at 6.15am, members of Lentegeur SAPS responded to information that a body was discovered in Melkbos Street, near the railway station in Lentegeur.
Upon arrival, police found the body of man in his late 30s with multiple stab wounds.
If you have any information that can help the police in their investigation, call Detective Warrant Officer Deon de Villiers on 082 411 2382.
The police have a system where positive information supplied to police about crime which results in the successful arrest and prosecution of criminals, is rewarded.
To report crime in Mitchell’s Plain or to find out more about joining crime-fighting structures in your sector, call Mitchell’s Plain police station on 021 370 1600, Lentegeur police station on 021 377 5100 or Strandfontein police station on 021 370 1500.