Police in the Uthukela Cluster arrested a total of 26 suspects during the Easter weekend. The suspects appeared yesterday (Tuesday) in various courts throughout the cluster.
Of these arrests, six were for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
On Thursday, police in Ezakheni were following up on information which led them to D-Section. A 37-year-old suspect was arrested after he was found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm pistol and ammunition. A second suspect, aged 26, was also arrested in the same section after he too was found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm pistol.
On Friday, police arrested a 66-year-old man at a tuck shop in Tsakane. The suspect was found in possession of an unlicensed Norinco and nine rounds of ammunition. This was followed on Monday by another arrest.
Police were working in the St Chad’s area, where they stopped a suspicious-looking vehicle. A 44-year-old man was arrested after he was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Besters police arrested a 29-year-old man on Friday in the Kleinfontein area for possession of two unlicensed .303 rifle rounds. Then, on Saturday, Elandslaagte police arrested a 29-year-old man in the Mahukwini area for being in possession of an unlicensed 9mm firearm and three rounds of ammunition.
Of the total number of arrests made, three of them were for possession of suspected stolen property.
On Friday at about 4.15pm, a 27-year-old man was arrested in Lyell Street. He was found in possession of a stolen laptop by Ladysmith police. On the same day at about 3.30pm, a 31-year-old man was arrested by Amangwe police in the Ngonyameni area. He was found in possession of a car radio, amplifier, DVD player and computer screen. He faces charges of being in possession of stolen property.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Ezakheni police received information concerning suspected stolen property. On arrival in the St Chad’s area, officers arrested a 30-year-old man and recovered stolen bedding.
The bulk of the arrests made were for possession of drugs (17 arrests).
On Thursday, police officers from the Rapid Rail Police Unit (RRPU), who are working in the Uthukela Cluster, were patrolling in Ezakheni A-Section when they received information about drugs. This led to the arrest of a 27-year-old man who was found in possession of 20 dagga parcels, five ‘slopes’, as well as loose dagga. On the same day at about 4pm, the group arrested a 46-year-old man in D-Section after he was found in possession of two large parcels of dagga, a plastic bag full of dagga and 124 small parcels of dagga.
This was followed by the arrest of a 22-year-old man in C-Section. He was found in possession of a bag of dagga. On the same day in Shaka Street, Ezakheni, police arrested a 19-year-old man after he was found in possession of a ‘slope’ of dagga weighing a few grams and a substance that is suspected to be mandrax.
Later that evening, a 31-year-old man was arrested in A-Section after being found in possession of three mandrax tablets with an estimated street value of around R300. The estimated street value of the seized dagga is around R5000.
The RRPU continued to arrest suspects in Ladysmith for drug possession, and on Thursday, a 54-year-old man was arrested in Alexander Street. He was found in possession of dagga weighing a few grams.
On Monday just before 1.30pm, two suspicious-acting men were seen in Kandahar Avenue and when police stopped to investigate, the two ran off. Police gave chase and a 22-year-old man was arrested after he was found in possession of two mandrax tablets.
Shortly thereafter, a 25-year-old man was also arrested for possession of one mandrax tablet. The mandrax is estimated to have a street value of around R300.
On the same day, a 35-year-old man was arrested in Settlers Drive for possession of half a mandrax tablet. A 27-year-old man was arrested in Lyell Street, also for possession of half a mandrax tablet. The street value of the drugs is around R100.
This was followed by the arrest of a 26-year-old man in Lyell Street, who was found in possession of four mandrax tablets with an estimated street value of R400.
Shortly thereafter, police arrested a 28-year-old man in Queen Street for possession of 99 ‘slopes’ of dagga and 61 small dagga parcels, all weighing a few grams each.
The dagga has an estimated street value of around R1000.
Estcourt SAPS added to the success by arresting a 30 year old man on March 24 for the possession of drugs. He was found in possession of 66 straws of whoonga, 74 pieces of rock cocaine and four mandrax tablets.
This was followed by the arrest of a 37-year-old man in the CBD who was found in possession of whoonga straws, mandrax and rock cocaine.
