Hawks bust major drug manufacturing operation in Soweto
An undisclosed amount of mandrax weighing over 330 kilograms has been seized in a residential house in Dobsonville‚ Soweto‚ on Tuesday.
The Gauteng Hawks‚ working together with the Cape Town Crime Intelligence unit‚ got a tip off that led to the arrest of three people‚ a 25-year-old man who was at the house when the police raided the home and two females whose ages were not divulged to the media.
The man has since been taken to the Dobsonville police station for further questioning while the two ladies have been detained elsewhere.
The peach-coloured house‚ situated at 48 Thusi Street‚ Dobsonville‚ which is surrounded by high walls‚ was encircled by police who raided the property earlier on Tuesday.
"Our police discovered a factory where drugs are made and it is alleged that these drugs are being manufactured here [because] we have seen machines and various powders so there is indeed a factory in this house which manufactures drugs‚" said Deputy National Commissioner Fannie Masemola.
The house‚ with a stainless steel gate with razor wire on top‚ has five outside rooms in the backyard where the drugs are being manufactured.
Journalists were taken on a tour of the premises where they saw gloves‚ 33 buckets‚ scales‚ containers of various shapes and sizes‚ sacks of finished products which were stacked in a bathroom in the backyard and tools such as hammers and chisels.
"The operation here was quiet an elaborate operation. We found 330 kilograms of completed products of methaqualone (mandrax) and we also have a lot of other material that is here which hasn't been processed and tested and the value of the content that is here cannot be estimated at this point in time as the scene is still being processed‚" said Gauteng head of Hawks Prince Mokoteli.
Mokoteli said the three suspects will be questioned about the drug kingpins who may also be linked to other labs because they have so far dismantled 25 labs across the country.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula congratulated the officers who played a pivotal role in the Dobsonville drug bust and said they needed to be promoted for their sterling work.
"Salutations to our police officers who have worked very hard. This is what I mean when I talk about crime intelligence leading operations‚ not some va-va-voom that is untouchable. This is real crime intelligence because it's not easy to detect this‚ you've got to apply your intelligence and be meticulous‚" Mbalula told journalists.
"These are the kind of police officers that the minister would like to recognize‚ promote and celebrate for a job well done. It's a group of cops from all multi disciplinary approach that led to this‚" said Mbalula.
He urged the community members to be more vigilant about what their neighbours get up to because that may also lead to other arrests.
- TimesLIVE