As the Drug Awareness Week came to an end on June 26, the Advertiser approached local law enforcement agencies to find out how the war on illicit drugs is going.
This publication also spoke to local organisations specialising in the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse to find out how big a problem substance abuse is in our city.
The EMPD responded to our list of questions and added that the fight against the drug trade requires a concerted effort among all the relevant stakeholders, including police and other concerned government departments, NGOs, faith-based organisation and community leaders, as well as targeted community members.
But what exactly does the metro police do? EMPD spokesperson chief Supt Kelebogile Thepa explained:
Q: EMPD members have been making a substantial number of drugs busts in the City, what is the estimated street value of all the drugs confiscated between June 1, 2020 and May 31?
A: R881 600.
Q: During the aforementioned period, how many people have been arrested as part of the EMPD’s series of crackdowns on drug-dealing gangs?
A: A total of 429 people were arrested for possession and dealing in narcotics.
Q: Based on your statistics, what are the most widely used and confiscated drugs in the City of late?
A: Khat, Mandrax, nyaope, crystal meth and dagga.
Q: Do we have an abundant supply of drugs coming into our City?
A: The majority of the drug arrests are dealers. From the estimated street value it can be determined that there is a vast amount of drugs coming into our cities. There is also frequent drug arrest at our port of entries, such as OR Tambo International Airport.
Q: Where do these drugs come from?
A: From interviewing informers, it is clear that a substantial amount comes from abroad. There is also a vast amount that is manufactured locally – as we have seen during numerous arrests where laboratories were uncovered. It is manufactured in other cities in South Africa and transported to Ekurhuleni.
Q: Who do the traders mostly rely on to sell drugs on the streets (the drug pushers)?
A: They make use of people in their circle, as trust is very important in the underworld.
Q: Residents raise more questions than answers about the overall effectiveness of law enforcement activity on illicit drugs, saying crackdowns have little impact on supply. Do you think police and all other stakeholders still need to do more to disrupt and prosecute the organised gangs?
A: Yes, most definitely. However, enforcement action against drug trafficking has a wider disruptive impact on organised crime. Crime groups involved in drug trafficking are typically involved in a range of criminal activity, so action against drug trafficking can simultaneously impact money laundering and illicit finance, illegal firearms, organised immigration crime, production of false documentation, modern slavery and human trafficking.
Illegal drugs are a global threat. To combat organised crime groups operating in our City, we cannot deal with this in isolation. We must work with partners such as SAPS, Justice, Customs, Home Affairs and others to coordinate action and prevent illegal drugs from reaching our cities as well as a conviction on cases that are brought to our courts.
Q: Is the metro considering a different approach to the problem or adopting a tougher stance to combat illegal drugs?
A: Yes, building a positive relationship with our communities is of utmost importance as they are our ears and eyes. For example, they can join the CPF.
We also need to empower our members by training them in combating the illegal drug trade, plan and execute disruptive drug operation in conjunction with other role-players in our City, and have regular drug awareness campaigns.
Q: How are illegal drugs devastating lives and communities, and fuelling serious violence, among young people in particular?
A: It is devastating the youth and fuelling juvenile delinquency. It affects youngsters to the extent that they are dropping out of school and committing crimes, such as theft and robbery to get money to maintain their addiction. At times, these youth form gangs and terrorise their communities.
Q: Based on your records and observations, are drugs easily available for users to purchase in the City?
A: Similar to the business of real estate sales, it is an issue of location, location, location. You must know the right ones or the better ones to trade your illegal drugs. Most of our CBDs has been identified as hot spots because they are congested daily.
Also Read: Locals celebrate Youth Day by raising awareness around drugs, substance abuse
