K9 Zeke’s R1m drug bust nothing to sniff at

A sniffer dog, which followed its nose and discovered parcels of drugs in a courier vehicle, helped authorities net contraband worth R1 million in Somerset West, confirmed Cape Town Metro Police on Thursday.

Spokesperson Ruth Solomons said the sniffer dog, Zeke, had participated in a K9 operation with provincial traffic services near Somerset West on Wednesday and had sniffed out parcels of drugs after a vehicle was stopped.

“This discovery led officers to [a residential property] in Somerset West, where they found various quantities of drugs. Included in the find were 24 jars of magic mushrooms and dagga, three parcels of dagga, 55 syringes, an unknown quantity of hashish, 190 small boxes of mushroom cakes, a piece of cannabis fudge, five MDMA tablets and seven dagga plants,” Solomons said.

“The estimated street value of the drugs was R1 million.”

Two men, aged 22 and 56, as well as a 57-year-old woman, were arrested and detained at the Somerset West police station on charges of drug dealing, possession and cultivating illegal substances.

Solomons said Zeke, one of the 25 dogs in the K9 unit, appeared to be “working his way up” to be one of its top achievers.

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