Drugs and squatters - what the cops found in their own barracks

Police conducted a raid on one of their own barracks in Durban’s Berea suburb‚ finding a stash of heroin‚ counterfeit DVDs and 26 people occupying the building illegally.

The raid‚ in the early hours of Monday morning‚ followed a similar operation on the Natalia Court barracks in central Durban at the weekend. They were both in an effort to root out those illegally occupying police housing.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said that officers from Public Order Police‚ National Intervention Unit‚ Tactical Response Team‚ Flying Squad‚ K9 and the Hawks descended on the block of flats at about 2am on Monday.

“We were in search of those who do not belong there as well as [wanting] to root out any illegal activity taking place in these particular quarters‚” he said. “The officers searched every room in the building and arrested 26 trespassers. Twenty-one of those arrested were not police officials and could not provide a reasonable explanation for being on the premises.”

Naicker added that the group was charged with trespassing and were served with a R300 admission of guilt fine.

“Police also made a discovery of 250g of heroin with an estimated street value of over R40,000‚ as well as 84 counterfeit DVDs. These items were found abandoned with nobody to account for them‚” said Naicker.

The Friday night raid on the Natalia building saw 115 arrested‚ including police officers “that should not be in those buildings”‚ said Naicker.

“Two dockets of corruption were opened after police established that some people were renting out rooms in these buildings‚” he said.