Premier joins the war as police swoop on Chatsworth dens
Drug raids begin VIASEN SOOBRAMONEY
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HE fight to reclaim Chatsworth from drug dealers is on. That's the view of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize. Mkhize visited POST personally yesterday (Tuesday) to collect information sent in by readers that contained the whereabouts of drug dealers and operations in suburbs across the province. He said in the next few weeks, residents of Chatsworth would feel the strong presence of police clamping down on drug dealers, peddlers, and users via a multi-departmental task team. “The provincial police commissioner is in the process of putting together a specially selected team that will start operations soon. This is only the beginning. The people of Chatsworth will help us launch a major offensive against drug lords and stamp them out,” said Mkhize. The Premier was accompanied by the MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Willies Mchunu, MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Ravi Pillay, and senior members of the South African Police Service.
Send information Mkhize urged the community to continue sending through information that would lead to the arrests of drug dealers. H id “Wh i it d Ch t th
October 10 14 2012
IT’S WAR AGAINST THE DRUG DENS POST joins undercover operation in Montford
THE DRUG ROUTE
VIASEN SOOBRAMONEY DRUG related activities in Chatsworth are still on the go, but not for long. Last week POST together with police operatives from the Chatsworth SAPS kept a close eye on a notorious drug den in Road 725 in Montford in an undercover surveillance operation. Watching from a safe distance, the investigative team noticed drug activity taking place just metres away from a suspected drug dealer’s residence. The dealer, who has been detained before, appears to have intricate systems in place to avoid detection by police. This is how the operation unfolded. 7.15am: Runners are seen approaching a pick-up point close to the dealer’s property. This ensures that should the operation be detected, the drugs found cannot be easily linked to any particular person, aside from those found in the runner’s possession. 7.45am: An informer notifies the investigative team that the runners are dealing in ‘sugars’, a highly addictive substance containing heroin, rat poison and other chemicals. This seems to be the drug of choice in Chatsworth, although other substances like dagga and ‘buttons’ (mandrax) are also on sale. 8.10am: A member of the drug operation scans the road from a secluded spot near the drug dealer’s property. He is known as a ‘score boy’ or lookout. It is his job to keep an eye out for police. Sources have re-
ABOVE: An exchange is made between a runner and a buyer. RIGHT: A buyer dissapears down a pathway to score a fix on Road 725. vealed that some lookouts are even posted as far away as Higginson Highway and communicate via cellphone. 8.25am: A ‘buyer’ approaches a drug runner. Money looks as though it has changed hands. The runner leaves and returns to a secluded spot near the drug dealer’s property. This is possibly where some of the drugs are kept. He returns to the ‘buyer’ after a few minutes and another exchange is made. 8.50 am: The investigative team follows the ‘buyer’. He is seen walking down a stairway which leads to a secluded park between Road 725 and Road 701. The ‘buyer’ moves out of sight. The investigative team moves to another vantage point. 9.05 am: From the new van-
tage point, the team observes that there are multiple drug users congregated under a tree in the park. Our informer confirms that this is a known spot for users to smoke ‘sugars’. 9.20am: Another ‘buyer’ is seen approaching the runner and the process is repeated. The team observed that throughout the operation, the suspected drug dealer himself was not seen at all. However, activity around his premises peaks at around 8am. The information sent in by POST readers during the week served to confirm many of the observations the team made on the premises. Police sources confirmed that 25 drug related arrests had taken place on Road 725 since April 2012.
DRUG TERMS
Partnership formed to fight crime VIASEN SOOBRAMONEY A PARTNERSHIP between all relevant role players in Chatsworth to fight crime is a step in the right direction. Sam Pillay, of the Anti-Drug Forum (ADF), said the partnership would improve the fight against drugs in the area. “Following a memorandum handed over to the Chatsworth SAPS recently, a joint partnership was formed between the justice department and its structures, the SAPS and other agencies, to work in a more coordinated manner,” said Pillay. The partnership is headed by the station commander of Chatsworth SAPS, Brigadier Coenrad Marais. He said the group had already met to discuss several
ways to improve the efficiency in the fight against drugs. “We have formed project groups to deal with the different challenges faced by various departments involved. “Training sessions have also taken place to help everyone get a better understanding of what needs to be done. “We have received very positive feedback in this regard,” said Marais. He added there would be no quick fix to the problem and that a sustained programme would be put in place. “The matter needs to be addressed at the starting point and that would entail tackling the social issues as well. Drugs is not just a criminal problem. It has deeper, far reaching effects,” he said.
Marais said despite the recent crime statistics showing an increase in drug-related crime this did not mean the police were unsuccessful in clamping down on drugs. “An increase in drug related crime would mean that the police have detected more drug activity than previous years. “This is a good sign. It means that more is being done. The local police are trying very hard and their hard work is paying dividends,” said Marais. Pillay said the response from police had been encouraging. “We have set up this partnership and the feedback has been positive. “Only when we work together can we really tackle the issue of drugs,” said Pillay
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