‘Kingpins’ and drug dealers arrested in La Lucia raid
An undisclosed amount mandrax, cocaine, dagga and an unlicensed firearm were also seized when police swooped in on a La Lucia brothel.
AUTHORITIES swooped in on a La Lucia-based brothel on Friday night, arresting five alleged prostitutes, a brothel-keeper, ‘a kingpin’ as well as an alleged drug dealer.
It is believed that undisclosed amount mandrax, cocaine, dagga and an unlicensed firearm were also seized during the raid on Lady Ellen Crescent.
Undercover policemen from the Hawks as well as the Durban K9 Unit are said to have acted on community driven intelligence.
According to media reports, provincial Hawks spokesman, Lieutenant Simphiwe Mhlongo confirmed the incident.
Mhlongo said an investigation was being conducted and police are yet to determine if any of the women were being held at the property against their will.
Haden Searles, chairman of the Durban North/uMhlanga community policing forum (CPF) praised the outcome of the operation, saying “We don’t want prostitution or drug activities in our area. Linked to those kinds of activities could be human trafficking. We have had that previously,” he said.
Searles urged the community to report suspicious activities as well as petty crimes, as ‘good actionable information’ could lead to more successful arrests.
“One kind of criminal activity often cultivates other forms of criminal activities. If left unreported a sense of lawlessness prevails,” he added.
The suspects are set to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. They face various charges, from prostitution and drug dealing to possession of an unlicensed firearm.
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