PICS & VIDEO: SAPS drug raid in Newlands

Despite all the team's efforts, only one man was arrested for being found in possession of two bags of kat.

A man is arrested for possession of drugs in Newlands, Johannesburg, 21 June 2019, by police and security officials in the area. After many reports of crime in the area, police are conducting stop and searches as well as raids based on tip offs from community members. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Led by Colonel Govender, the South African Police Service and security officials performed a drug raid in Newlands on Friday. This operation happens on a weekly basis during the afternoon in Newlands and Westbury.

According to Colonel Govender, the raids are performed weekly because there have been high amounts of reported criminal incidents such as robberies, break-ins and drug dealings in Newlands. The task team usually does random stop-and-checks on residents and on people found in the area during the day.

Among others were two suspects stopped and arrested for access to any leads as to where they bought some dagga the task team found in their possession. A raid was also done on a home in Newlands where the team got a lead on a suspected drug dealer and an individual who owned illegal firearms.

Despite all the team’s efforts, only one man was arrested for being found in possession of two bags of kat. On arrest, he said that someone he gave a lift to left it in his car.

The point of these raids is to show police presence in the area and to curb all the criminal incidents that have been happening in Newlands and Westbury.

Pictures by Tracy Lee Stark: